


Family Business

by ThatClumsyGirl



Category: Castle, Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Case Fic, Crossover, Guest Appearances From Other Characters, Multi, TV-style police work, kinda fluffy i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-02-03 08:45:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12744942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatClumsyGirl/pseuds/ThatClumsyGirl
Summary: A fateful encounter on the beach shakes Steve's life up. And if that weren't enough to deal with, there's also a gang, Kate Beckett, and his feelings.





	1. Strangers

**Author's Note:**

> This just kinda happened, thanks to re-runs of Castle on my TV and my ever-present obsession with H50. Once you get to the end of chapter 1, you'll know what it's about. It's really sort of obvious (Too obvious maybe)
> 
> Disclaimer: All Five-0 & Castle characters belong to their respective creators. OCs shouldn't resemble anyone real but if they do, it's unintentional (I usually run their names through google before I get started, but I forgot)
> 
> Disclaimer #2: I didn't want to mention this, but it might be better: I am not a native speaker of English and I don't have anyone else to proofread for me. Also, I will reply to comments, because a) I'm always glad to get them and want to appreciate the commenters and b) I have the compulsive need to explain myself (not kidding) Hopefully, this won't bother anyone, and if it does, I'm sorry.
> 
> The story is set after Hawaii Five-0 episode 3.11 and Castle episode 5.09 (those seasons' Christmas episodes), references to earlier & later episodes
> 
> Enjoy!

“Hey, mister? Are you OK?”

A little girl's voice resounds in Richard's head. He tries to open his eyes but can't manage it, tries to remember where he is but fails at that, also. He hears a whooshing, rushing sound and it might be the ocean, might be a highway, might be his own blood in his brain …

“Danno! Uncle Steve! There's a man and he's not moving!” The girl again, probably a bit farther away.

“Grace, come away from him!” The man's voice is frantic.

Richard tries to call out to them to please, help, don't leave, but he can't make a sound. He is dimly aware of a shadow falling across him and maybe there is a hand touching his throat. Just maybe. He can only feel the leaden heaviness of his own bones, dragging him back to sleep.

“He's alive. Danny, get an ambulance”, is the last thing he hears before he is comfortable again in his dreams of Kate.

 

*#*

 

The unconscious man from the beach doesn't have anything on him to identify him or find out where he came from. Not even a hotel key-card. And there is absolutely no usable evidence in the place where they'd – or rather, Gracie had – found him.

“Looks like just another random mugging. The third this week” Danny sighs and looks across the beach to the towering hotels of Waikiki. He had sent Grace home with an officer and they had spent the last two hours trying to unearth a witness but no-one had seen anything.

“I don't know, man. Something is off about this one” Also, there is something vaguely familiar about the victim, but Steve doesn't know what it is, yet.

“What do you mean, “off”? His clothes and shoes were expensive, all his stuff has been taken and he's been left on a beach, just like the others. He even has the same sort of head wound. What are you trying to find?”

“Look, Danny, I know you're annoyed, but now that we've caught this case -”

“We haven't caught anything. It was a mugging, end of story. Let's just back off and hand this over to HPD, so I can at least spend the rest of the weekend with my daughter. A full weekend – is that so much to ask?”

It shouldn't be, Steve thinks, especially right now when there is a very real possibility that Grace will have to leave the island and move to Vegas with her mother. And after Danny has just spent his first Christmas without her. “You know what, you're right. You go and I'll stay here and help with the investigation”

Danny makes that face he always makes when he thinks Steve is being a control-freak. “By “help” you mean “take over”, no?”

“Well, someone is clocking rich tourists on the head and it has been getting out of hand. I'd better get a head-start before the Governor puts us on it, anyway … You just go home. See you tomorrow”

“Alright. But try not to blow anything up or run someone's house down with a tank”

“When have I ever done that?”

 

*#*

 

“Have you seen this man?” Steve has asked exactly ten bartenders off the beach where they'd found John Doe that very question but none of them recognized the unconscious man in the picture on his phone. And none of them knew anything about the wave of muggings in the last two weeks.

“Have you seen this man?” In bar number eleven, someone else asks the question first: a beautiful, tall brunette with a guarded look on her face shows the bartender a picture of the same guy, but in this one he isn't unconscious but smiling brightly.

“Maybe I have” Steve has decided to tread carefully. This woman is more than meets the eye, he's sure of that. He has her full attention immediately.

“Where is he?” Worry shows in her deep hazel eyes. “I've been looking for him since yesterday evening”

“Where did you lose him?”

She pulls herself up to her full height and gives Steve a bone-chilling glare. “You will tell me _right now_ where he his, or I'll have your ass arrested” She pulls a badge from her shorts-pocket. “Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD”

“You're slightly out of your jurisdiction, Miss Beckett” He lifts the edge of his shirt to reveal his own badge. “Steve McGarrett, Five-0 … Why are you looking for this man?”

Her shoulders sag a little, but she is still imposing, even to Steve. “He's my boyfriend. Richard Castle. Something has happened to him, hasn't it?”

“We found him unconscious on the beach earlier. Come on, I'll take you to him”

 

*#*

 

This time, Richard can feel his aching body and his pounding head. This is like the worst hangover ever. Kate's voice breaks through the haze and a regular beeping sound – wait. He was on the beach and … the little girl … someone called an ambulance …

The lights are blinding but he can see Kate's form as she leans over him and takes his hand.

“Hey, Castle. Time to wake up” There is a smile in her voice.

“Ugh. What happened?” Kate helps him up and hands him a plastic cup full of water. Only then does he realise there's someone else in the room: a tattooed athletic guy is standing by the foot of the bed with his arms crossed and staring at him through intense blue eyes.

“We were hoping you could tell us” Kate indicates the stranger. “This is Steve McGarrett from the Five-0 task-force. He and his partner found you on the beach this morning”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Castle” McGarrett comes over and shakes his hand with the firm determined grip of a man accustomed to taking charge. Military? Probably.

“I remember that a little girl found me on the beach. Must've been mistaken”

“That was Grace. My partner's daughter” His face lights up instantly, but he's back to business within seconds. “Do you remember anything else? Where you were last night, how you got to Waikiki Beach?”

Richard searches his head, but there's nothing. Just blank white noise where the evening should have been. “I'm sorry, I've no idea. The last thing I remember is going into the hotel with you, Kate, sometime in the early evening”

“Yeah, that was a little while before you vanished … I was in the shower and when I came back out, you were just gone and the door was open. Your phone, wallet and everything was still there, that's how I realised something was wrong”

“So, all of your things are at the hotel? Nothing's been stolen?”, McGarrett cuts in.

“Well, I guess, uhm … My watch. I think, I had my watch on me and it's gone. But it wasn't very expensive or anything” It's just so hard to remember.

“Okay, this could still have been a random attack, but my instinct tells me otherwise. I will place a uniform outside this room, just to be sure, and our crime-lab is already running a full tox-screen on you. In the meantime, I'd like to look at your hotel-room”

“Yes, of course. We can go there” Kate doesn't even hesitate.

“I'll be outside when you're ready” With a smile, he turns to leave.

Suddenly, Richard knows what's been bothering him. “Hey, McGarrett?”, he calls and the other man turns back, “We've met before, haven't we?”

“Feels like it, yeah. I don't really know. But maybe we'll figure it out”

 

*#*

 

The hotel room had told him nothing. No sign of forced entry or a struggle. By the looks of it, Castle just walked out of there without anything on him and never came back. What an end to a nice relaxing holiday with his girlfriend … And what a girlfriend. Steve still isn't sure if he trusts her and their story. A highly proficient, ambitious NYPD-detective and her “consultant” (yes, he's checked up on them) go on holiday, he just so happens to go missing and she just so happens to stumble into Steve? Maybe she's up to something, they both are. Maybe running an unsanctioned investigation on the island? He has to keep tabs on the two of them, that's for sure. And that's why he called Chin and Kono and sent them on a nice little stakeout. But they've reported that she just went back to the hospital. Is he being overcautious? Steve doesn't think so.

By now, that being 11 p. m., he has received the case-files from all the other similar muggings that have been taking place in Honolulu and were likely committed by the same person(s). HPD suspects a gang of youths.

Steve's phone bings, showing a message from Danny: “If you're not home by now, you should be” Sometimes, it's scary how well Danny knows him. But it's a good kind of scary.

The truth is, Steve knows he should go home and finally get a good night's sleep because otherwise he'll fall asleep across the computer-table. But home is where Catherine is – or might be – and he has been trying to avoid her. Why? Because he's a coward, that's why. Steve doesn't know what has changed, yet something must have. He'd always thought he truly loved her, but lately it just hasn't felt like that. It has felt wrong and hollow and like he's just keeping the relationship up for convenience. Somehow, it was easier when they saw each other less. They're not fighting, or anything, it's just … Steve doesn't know. And he doesn't want to know. He just wants it to go back to the way it was before and not face up to the fact that it might actually be over …

Steve's head snaps up from his outstretched arm on the table. He checks the time to see how long he's been sleeping but it was only a couple of minutes. Alright, time to go home. When he's just about to swipe the pictures of the attacked people off the screen, the revelation hits him. That's what's been off from the start: All victims had head-wounds on the right sides, inflicted by a left-hander, with a blunt even-faced object (a baton or club of some sort), while Castle's is on the left side and looks more like a sharp-edged object has caused it. Now, it is entirely possible that the serial muggers had forgotten their weapons on a bus somewhere and needed to improvise, but it could also mean that this last attack was staged to look like one of theirs. Especially since the doctor had told Steve that this wound was unlikely to have caused Castle's memory loss and long unconsciousness. He'll have to wait for the tox-screen to come back. That means, it's still time to go home.

Danny would say that Steve is using this case as an excuse to put off talking to Cath and he'd probably be right. He wonders what Charlie Fong's excuse is when he calls Steve just as he is leaving the office.

“Richard Castle's lab results came back”

“So? What've you got?”

“You'd better come down here, it's … You need to see for yourself”

That sounds mysterious and Fong would never be mysterious just for the hell of it. Steve makes his way over to the lab and finds the young man among his extensive equipment, looking uncomfortable and nervous.

“So, first things first. He was drugged with flunitrazepam – “roofies” – which explains the memory loss. I also found alcohol, but way below the legal limit. If I had to take a guess, I'd say it was a party-night gone wrong”

“It wasn't … But there's something else, right?”

“Well, yeah …” Fong obviously doesn't know what to do with his hands and decides to pull up some cryptic analysis on his computer. “Before we knew who he was, I ran his prints and DNA and apparently I forgot to cancel the search after you called and told me it wasn't necessary anymore … And I got a hit”

“Come on, Charlie. Enough with the suspense; just tell me”

“It was a familial match. To you. Richard Castle is your half-brother”

 


	2. Connections

“He's my brother” Steve doesn't even wait for Danny to say hello before he storms into the house.

“Huh? Slow down, Steven” Danny drops the laundry-basket he's carrying behind the door.

“Richard Castle, the guy we found on the beach, is my half-brother” He says it slowly, trying to make the words sound real.

“The mystery-writer? My mum loves his books … Are you sure about this? Maybe the lab made a mistake”

“Well, I don't want to believe it, I had Fong triple-check the results, but it's true. My father is his father” Steve drops onto the couch with a heavy sigh. “As if my family weren't fucked up enough already”

“You think your Dad knew about this?” Danny sits down beside him and hands him a cold beer he's conjured up from somewhere.

“I don't know. There are only two people I can think of who could answer that: Doris and Joe White”

“Yeah, right. And when have they ever given you the full truth …”

“Exactly” Steve presses his hands over his eyes like he knows he has a habit of doing when he's distressed. He hates circumstances beyond his control and an unknown brother turning up … Well, let's just say, given his family history, that's an invitation for disaster.

“Okay, let's go over what we know at this point”, Danny says after a minute of silence, “He's older than you, right? So this happened probably before your parents were married or even knew each other. He's from New York, if I remember correctly, and we both know how far away from here that is”

“Yeah, that sounds plausible. I checked up on him and his girlfriend earlier – oh, did I tell you she's an NYPD homicide detective? – and his mother is an actress named Martha Rodgers. No word about his father anywhere. So … maybe he doesn't know about our connection”

“Have you gone through your Dad's stuff? There might be a hint somewhere, if he knew”

“Not yet … Actually, I just came straight from the crime-lab … And I am an idiot. Of course there's someone else to ask: my aunt Deb. I will call her and then check Dad's stuff”

Danny smiles in that strange, secret way Steve can never quite figure out. “That's what you should do. But at least wait until it's morning in L. A. You don't want to ring your poor aunt out of bed … You have a brother, babe. Isn't that great?”

 

*#*

 

Richard still feels a little loopy and hungover when he arrives at the impressive palace Five-0 calls their headquarters on Monday morning. Being roofied isn't an experience he wants to repeat. He can hardly take in the introductions to the other members of the task-force, but at least he recognises that guy with the Jersey accent as the voice he'd heard on the beach.

“Hey, I need to talk to you alone for a minute”, McGarrett says and guides him to his office.

This just confirms Richard's suspicion that there's more to this invitation to HQ. He'd told them all about the drugs and the staged robbery on the phone already. What's so important that it can only be discussed in person? “Is it about the case?”, he asks after they've sat down on opposite sides of the huge desk.

“No, it's … Shit, how do I say this?” McGarrett gets up and leans on the desk with his arms crossed, then starts pacing. “Alright. The lab ran your DNA and …”

“And? Is there … something wrong with it?” Richard has a feeling he isn't quite grasping the situation.

“No, it's not that. They found a relative of yours on this island … Me. We're half-brothers”

“Wha- My mother never told me she had another child …”

“Not your mother. We share a father”

Oh. Oh! “She never told me who my father is” Richard isn't sure if the giddy excitement is real or still an after-effect of the drugs. “Could you … tell me about him?”

A shadow crosses McGarrett's face and he swallows hard. “His name was John McGarrett. He was a retired HPD-Sergeant and Vietnam-veteran and a good man with unbreakable integrity”

“ _Was_?”

“Yeah. He was murdered two years ago”

All the excitement turns to ice in a second. “Murdered? How? And Why?”

Before Steve can answer, there's a knock on the door. “Sorry, boss. Dead body in the harbour. We gotta go”, the girl from earlier says and Steve just nods.

“We'll talk about this later”, he says, pats Richard's shoulder and leaves the office.

“Hey, babe”, Kate's voice cuts through the haze, “So, this mystery is finally solved, huh?”

“Yeah. But he's dead … I will never know him and, suddenly, this upsets me. It never did when I didn't know who he was. He might've been dead all along” He doesn't know if he's saying this out loud or just thinking it. “And there's a whole family attached to this. I have a brother” The giddy excitement is back once that truly dawns on him. “Oh my God, Kate. I have a brother!”

She laughs softly. “Yes, you do. And, I don't want to make you explode with happiness, but – Danny just told me this outside – you have a sister, as well”

 

*#*

 

“So, victim's name is Oran Kearney, 25, driver's licence says he's from New York. This plane-ticket has him arriving on the island on Friday”, Kono explains and holds up the evidence bag with the victim's belongings. The photo on the licence shows a handsome young man with dark blonde hair and a friendly, open expression on his face.

“TOD is sometime on Saturday night. I will be able to narrow it down further, once I have concluded the autopsy”, Max takes over and pushes the victim's jacket aside, “Evidently, he was shot in the chest at close range but I can't state at this point if that was the ultimate cause of death”

“Dock workers found him floating this morning. It doesn't look like the body was weighed down. That means, either he was shot and fell into the water, or the killer just hoped that the currents would carry him away”, Kono continues.

“Yeah, or the killer simply didn't care if he was found and just dumped him in the water to destroy trace evidence”, Danny points out. “Steve, are you with us?”

Steve suddenly realises he hasn't said a word since leaving the office. “I'm listening … We need to locate the actual crime-scene. Kono, you've analysed currents before, see if you can calculate where this guy hit the waves”

A few minutes later, Steve and Danny are on their way to see the victim's sister in Waipahu.

“You want to talk about it?”, Danny asks as they are passing by Pearl City.

“'Bout what? My new-found brother? Nothing new to talk about since last night. Except that aunt Deb didn't know anything”

“And here was I, thinking that you _might_ want to tell me how you feel about it” Danny's waving hands indicate that he is going to give a speech about Steve's emotionlessness any moment now.

“It's … well, I just … I can't get my head around it yet, okay?” And that's the truth. Right now, Steve doesn't know what he feels, except confused and stunned.

“Okay” Danny raises his hands in surrender. “Luckily, you have a murder to distract you … Over there, this should be the house”

They stop and get out of the car in front of a small bungalow that needs painting and a front lawn that hasn't been cut in ages and is decorated with a splodgy, ratty sofa and a rusty bicycle. A slight, pale, very young blonde opens the door, tired out and wrapped in a much too big cardigan. She looks like an abandoned kid who's just about to break.

“Faye Kearney?”, Steve asks and she nods. As soon as her gaze hits the badges on their belts, a horrified expression slowly creeps onto her face.

“This is about Oran, isn't it?”, she all but whispers.

“He was found dead this morning. We are so sorry” Steve wishes he was better with words in situations like this.

She clasps a hand over her mouth and turns away, sobbing. Shit, this girl looks like she can't be older than 18 and she's just lost her only relative. With a twist in his heart, Steve realises that she reminds him of Mary in a painful, creepy way. No, now is not the time to go there.

He follows Faye into the house where she sinks down on a sofa and takes a deep breath.

“If you're up to it, we'd like to ask you a few questions” Steve and Danny sit down on randomly scattered chairs opposite her. The house's inside is just as scraggy as the outside suggested.

“Of course” Faye wipes her eyes with one oversized sleeve. “It's not like this is a surprise or something”

“When did you last speak to your brother?”

“An hour after I last saw him, around 9:30 p. m. on Saturday. I was here, he called me, said he was being followed … Then he hung up and … that was it … Tell me, how did he die?”

Steve and Danny exchange a look and Steve decides it can't hurt to tell her. “He was shot. Can you think of anyone who would do this? Did he have any enemies?”

“Oh, loads of them. He was a trouble-maker back home … I tried to escape his bad life-choices and moved out here, told him to join me as soon as he was ready to turn his life around. But when he came the other day, he was upset and jumpy … I suppose trouble followed him here … But, knowing Oran, he might've pissed someone off enough to shoot him, in that one day he spent here”

“But you can't think of anyone in particular? Did he mention a name, maybe?”

“No, he never did. I just know that he had a lot of trouble with a lot of people. Oran was like that. Ruthless, selfish … but he was still my brother and I loved him … When can I take him home, to be buried?”

 

*#*

 

Richard is beyond happy. Not only does he have a brother and sister, but said brother turns out to be a badass Navy-SEAL with a past so shrouded in mystery and “classified”, his brain makes up new stories by the minute. And he doesn't even have to make them up. What Chin Ho and his cousin Kono have already told him would be enough to fill several books.

Kono is just explaining the current-analysis she has done for their case on this awesome computer-table they have, when Steve and Danny walk back in. Unable to think of another way to show him that, yes, he accepts his new family, Richard just steps up to him and gives him a hug.

“O-kay. I'll take that”, Steve says with a smile, “Moving on. Kono?”

“I've found the dump-site” She pulls up a map and indicates a Marina of some sort. “Unfortunately, their private security cams were down for maintenance. HPD is already canvassing the area and traffic-cam footage is on the way”

“Now, that's strange”, Danny suddenly says, “That area is right around the corner from where we found you, taking a nap on the beach” He gives Richard a piercing look. “Victim's from New York, you are from New York … Do you know anyone named Oran Kearney?”

“Danny” Steve rolls his eyes at him. “That's probably a coincidence. Do you even know how many people from New York come here?”

“No, I don't think it's a coincidence” Richard has spotted something on the photos of the victim that tips him right off balance again. “That's my watch” It has to be. In the close-ups of the victim's hands he can even see the place where he had chipped it once, playing laser-tag with Alexis.

“I suppose that means the cases are connected. It also makes you a person of interest for our investigation” Steve sounds almost apologetic.

Behind them, Kate sighs. “Will we ever have a holiday without a murder?”

 


	3. Teams

“Don't tell me you weren't thinking the exact same thing. You don't trust them, do you?” Danny looks through the windows of Steve's office to where Castle and Beckett are arguing silently.

“Of course not. He might be my brother but that doesn't mean he isn't up to something … But I really don't think they have anything to do with the murder itself. Maybe Castle was targeted because he put his nose in someone else's affairs. Does seem the type”

“I believe Beckett used the term “trouble-magnet”. Comes with the genes, I suppose”

“I can't speak for her, but you, my friend, are clearly exaggerating … The best way to keep an eye on them is to officially tie them in with our investigation. Who knows, maybe they'll be forced to reveal if there is a secret mission behind their _holiday_ ” Now that Steve thinks about it, this really is the better way of doing it. He was going to make a covert op out of it and do it the secret, sneaky way – like a spy. He does feel a little ashamed, especially when he realises he's doing this to his _brother_.

“Or maybe, we're just paranoid … Anyway, for once I agree with you. Let's make it official. We can definitely put their resources in New York to good use. And, this way, they are less likely to go rogue and ruin everything … Why aren't you two saying anything?” Danny turns to Chin and Kono.

“Oh, we're just too fascinated with seeing you guys agree”, Kono smirks.

“And with wondering when you'll slip a GPS-tracker into Detective Beckett's purse” Chin knows him too well.

“Already have. It's in her phone, actually … What? Unless any of you want to spend the night in front of their hotel, I intend to keep it there” That part, he isn't ashamed of.

“Looks like they're done arguing, too” Danny indicates the two of them who are waiting outside, giving each other sidelong glances. “Time to go back to the case”

“Well, we've discussed this”, Steve says when they're all standing together again, “You'd probably go off and investigate anyway, so we have decided to make this a joint operation. I'll call the Governor, he will call your boss and in an hour or two, we'll officially be up and running” Steve can literally feel Beckett's discomfort at the mention of her boss and it rouses his suspicions even more.

“There is just one tiny little problem”, Richard says before she even has the chance to (presumably) say no, “Where we come from, they have a strict policy against relationships amongst co-workers”

“Yeah, and our Captain – she used to be I. A. – is so by the book, even though she doesn't want to fire me, she would. Also, she hates Castle”

“Does she believe in coincidences?”, Danny asks.

“Even less than you do”, Beckett answers with a sigh.

“I think we should go with plausible deniability. We'll just say that you were here anyway and I just arrived the other day for a book-tour – which is sort of true, by the way – and ruined your holiday”

“She'll never buy that and you know it”

“I have an idea” Steve steps in before they can start arguing again. “Beckett, you were on holiday, let's say, in California. We found Castle passed out on the beach and called you, since you are his emergency contact. Then we made the connection between the cases and, for everybody's good and well-being, request your New York-related expertise. You think she'll buy that?”

“You leave out the part about the well-being and she might”

“Oh, I'm not going to deliver the lines. The Governor is”

 

*#*

 

“Yo, Beckett”, Esposito's grinning face comes up on the video screen, “Has he managed to ruin another holiday?”

“Yeah, you two really aren't good at this whole vacation-thing, are you?” Ryan leans into the picture.

Richard sees the need to rise to the bait. “What? I didn't do anything” Especially the last time. Or is it his fault that a man dropped dead in his pool in the Hamptons? And this time? Well, he doesn't know what exactly he's done so it doesn't count.

“Let's not talk about this now”, Kate sighs, “Five-0 task-force, meet my team, Detectives Esposito and-”

“Ryan ?! Kevin Ryan?” Danny has ended his phone-call, turns around and stares at the screen.

“Williams! Man, it's been ages. So, this is where you ran off to?”

“You know each other?” There's an undeniably jealous tone in Steve's voice and that finally convinces Richard. He thought, he'd been imagining the smouldering looks and lingering touches between Steve and Danny, but obviously he hasn't. That's interesting – very interesting. And cute.

“Yeah”, Danny shrugs, “I arrested him a couple times when I was still a cop in Jersey”

“What ?!”, Beckett and Esposito ask in unison.

“Relax, guys”, Ryan rolls his eyes, “I was undercover. Narcotics, remember? That's how we do it”

After the rest of the introductions have been made, Beckett asks the famous question. “So, what've you got?”

“Not much. As you can probably guess from his name, Oran Kearney has Irish ancestors. He was born in New York City, lived here all his life. He has a 19-year-old sister named Faye – but you already know all of that – and their parents died ten years ago. He also has a juvie record. Sending you his rap sheet, now. But it's nothing major, just a few misdemeanours” Even before Ryan has finished, an e-mail-icon pops up on the computer-table in Hawaii.

“He worked at a coffee shop and there's an apartment in his name in Hell's Kitchen. Which is sort of a cliché, but anyway … Ryan and I will go check it out”, Espo continues.

“You do that. And see what else you can dig up. The sister mentioned that he had a lot of enemies, so there's got to be something” Kate has put the holiday behind her and is back in full detective-mode.

“Will do. Oh, and if you need us to come over and help you out, we can be there in a couple hours”

“Bye, Espo” Kate laughs and disconnects the call. They both know how much Esposito hates the winter in New York. Poor Ryan will have a hard time cheering him up.

“This doesn't make much sense, yet. From what Faye said, I'd expected this guy had left a trail of destruction over there, but all we've got is some lousy shoplifting and disruption charges. He didn't even do time. Why would anyone kill him?” Steve's phone dings and he checks the message. “Well, we don't know why, but we might just find out how. Max has got something … That's our M. E. You guys want to come?”

“Yeah, sure” Kate is already halfway out the door. “Castle? You coming?”

“As much as I'd love to, I'm still a little hungover and just the thought of that medical smell in the morgue makes me want to lie down”

“Wow, babe. You're becoming a responsible adult. Alexis will be so proud. See you later”

“Who's Alexis?” Kono asks after they're gone.

“My very grown-up teenage daughter … So, what are we doing in the meantime?”

“Reviewing traffic-cam footage around the estimated time of death. Grab a chair, you're helping … Also, lunch. If you're not too hungover for that”

“Never”

 

*#*

 

Despite the lunch-break sometime in-between, watching all the recordings makes Richard's head blurry. Also, a thought that he's been trying to avoid has sneaked up on him and surprised him: He'll have to call his mother. And, given the time difference, he'll have to do it in the next few hours. Or wait until tomorrow. Or even the day after that.

“Okay, this is frustrating”, Richard says to break the eerie silence in the office.

“Yep”, Kono answers from where she is lounging across an armchair, laptop on her knees, continuously wrapping a strand of hair around her finger, “But it does tell us one thing: Given the amount of traffic-cams in the area, whoever did this was either a pro or local. You don't manage to avoid them just by dumb luck … Maybe we could find something if we had the exact time of death”

“Which we have”, Steve's voice suddenly says and startles them both out of their chairs. “Or at least, we have the time he was dumped. Turns out your watch wasn't saltwater-proof” He holds up an evidence bag with the watch that shows the time at 9:45.

“That's great. We couldn't really make it out on the photos from the crime scene. Now hold on, all we have to do …” Kono taps some keys and the big screen shows all the traffic-cams, going backwards from 9:45. Her quick eyes scan them with renewed enthusiasm.

“There! Roll that one back a little” Kate points to one image in the corner and they all watch intently.

“Oh yeah, I see it” Kono zooms in on it and replays a certain section but Richard can't make out what they're so excited about. “Do you see it? A flash, like a muzzle flare. And there's a reflection … Is that a grey van? Looks like someone is dragging something heavy into it” She zooms and sharpens but it doesn't get much clearer. “I'll send it over to the lab, maybe they can enhance it”

“Oh. Castle, do you realize where this is? That's exactly the part of the street we can see from our hotel room” Kate turns around and she has that look she always gets when things suddenly go logical. “This explains a lot. You probably saw this whole thing. We need to get security footage from the hotel”

“I'll take care of it” Kono is already almost on her way. “But first: What did Max have to say?”

Chin Ho comes back from somewhere Richard hadn't even realized he'd gone to and exchanges a meaningful look with Steve.

“Well, COD was definitely the gunshot”, Danny answers, obviously trying to ignore the exchange, “But before he was shot, our vic was beaten up pretty bad. It doesn't look like he tried to defend himself though, which is, in Max' words “utterly curious”, particularly because the guy was shredded. He also has a scar from an older gunshot-wound and a good amount of healed fractures. And his fingerprints were filed off. So, if this guy wasn't involved in something shady, I'm Hawaiian”

“You'd go that far, really?” Steve smiles at him fondly but before Danny can come up with a throwback, a video-call announces itself.

Of course it's Ryan and Espo. How wonderfully in time they all are. “We searched Oran Kearney's apartment. Neighbours say the last time they saw him was about a week ago and the place looks like it, too. He sure as hell left in a hurry. Which means he didn't have time to clean up after himself” Ryan holds up a few crumpled letters. “We found these in a drawer. They're addressed to one Connor Moore”

“His roommate, maybe?”

“That's what we thought. Until we ran the name” Espo grins widely and a new e-mail arrives at the tech-table. “Connor Moore is Oran Kearney. Turns out your boy had two identities. And they're both completely legit and airtight. Right now, it's impossible to tell which is his “real” one, but we have people working on it”

“I bet Oran Kearney is real”, Richard muses while Kono opens the e-mail and puts the contents on the screen, “No-one would make up a name like that in real life if they're trying to be unremarkable and under the radar”

“Except he wasn't under the radar. I can see your faces, so I can tell that you've noticed the quite extensive rap sheet attached to _this_ name. Starting when he was 15, Connor Moore was arrested in several drug raids and was a suspect in a few high-end robberies, but nothing ever stuck. Evidence and witnesses magically disappeared and impossible alibis turned up. Lately, his favourite pastime seems to be assault and battery and illegal possession of a firearm”

“That is impressive, especially considering he was only 25” Steve scrolls through the criminal record. “But he never really did time. Usually, with a record like this, he'd have been off the streets, right? Even in New York City”

“Well, here's the kicker” Ryan is his usual excited self. “Of course the gang-unit could never prove it, but it looks like Connor Moore has ties to organised crime. He was an enforcer for a local gang – mostly Irish but not exclusively, mid-ranking associates of the Gambino crime family. Given the way he was killed, I'd say it was a mob hit”

Steve looks so determined it's almost scary. “Seems like we need to teach the gangs of New York to stay the hell in New York”

 


	4. Brothers

Steve's phone rings the moment he opens the door to his house.

“McGarrett, we have a problem”, Beckett says by way of greeting.

“What's wrong?”

“Someone trashed our hotel-room. CSU is here but I doubt they'll find anything”

Steve is already getting back into his car. “Has anything been stolen?”

“Doesn't look like it. But we'll only be able to tell for certain once it's been processed”

“Stay right there, I'm on the way” So much for his plans for tonight: take a swim, nice relaxed dinner, break up with his girlfriend …

Steve arrives at the hotel pretty quickly and finds Beckett outside the room, observing the CSU-team and Castle who is standing by the window with his hands on his head.

“What's he doing?”

“Trying to remember. He thinks this also happened because he saw something in that alley … By the way, the report on that came back. Looks like it's our initial crime-scene. They found traces of blood and some tire-tracks, but nothing remarkable”

Steve is a little pissed that she got to read the report before he did, but he doesn't let it show. “Once they've finished, you'll grab your stuff and come back to my place. It's not save here” Also, it'll be easier to keep an eye on them. He's definitely not doing this because he worries. No, sir.

“Great idea” Castle suddenly pops up next to them. “Is it the house you grew up in?”

 

*#*

 

Steve notices the way Castle tries to take in everything as soon as they pull up to the house. It must be so weird for him to come to this place where his father and his siblings lived, that was built and changed around their lives, completely unaware that there should have been another member in this bottled-up unit.

“Wow, a beach house”, Beckett says once they're inside and steps up to the lanai doors, “That's pretty nice. Is it safe to swim out there?”

“I do it every morning. Or I try to. So, yeah, it's safe enough”

“Says the Navy-SEAL”

“Don't worry, I'll rescue you if you sink”

“Not what I was aiming at”

“I'll rescue you anyway … Come on, I'll show you the guest-room” During all this, Richard hasn't said a word, just looked around himself like a kid in Disneyland, wide-eyed and antsy. Steve just hopes that it's not an indicator for an emotional meltdown and if it is, that Beckett will know what to do. “I'll show you some photos from old times, later. Right now, we should think about dinner and whether it'll be take-out or home-cooking ”, Steve says to break the spell and it works.

“Are you implying you like to cook? … Me, too” Castle has snapped back to the present moment.

“That's settled, then. Let's just -” A key turns in the front-door. That could mean a lot of things, but most likely it means Steve will have to face Catherine. “Excuse me one second” He hurries out of the room and down the stairs.

“Hey there”, Catherine says with a smile as soon as she sees him, “I just came to grab some stuff. I'm going out with friends. Want to come along?”

“Nah, sorry, not tonight. I have some visitors … friends, staying over” Now is not the time to tell her who they are. Steve wonders if it'll ever be the time to tell her anything.

“Alright then” She takes one of her jackets from the wardrobe and changes her shoes, then looks up to the gallery. “Ah, that must be your friends”

Castle and Beckett are coming downstairs, looking as innocent as usual, and Steve feels oddly terrified. “Right. Kate Beckett, Richard Castle, meet Catherine Rollins”

They exchange pleasantries, then Catherine turns to leave. “Guys, I gotta go. It was nice meeting you. See you later” She kisses Steve on the lips and he feels a stream of dread run through him.

When she's gone, he finds Castle and Beckett staring at him in a wild mix of surprise, curiosity and … disappointment? Whatever is that supposed to mean?

“Is that your girlfriend?” Castle looks like he's never seen two people kiss before.

“Yeah, what about her?”

“Nothing, just … nothing”

This doesn't help with Steve's trust issues. Doesn't help at all.

 

*#*

 

The day is coming to its end and Richard is recovering from hearing some details about his father's murder and seeing family photos of a family he could've belonged to. Right now, his only take-away is that both he and Steve have their father's eyes. They are sitting outside with beers, Kate has gone swimming, and Richard is acutely aware of the fact that this is the first time he's been alone with Steve since the big revelation.

“So, I might be wrong, but this is awkward, isn't it?”, Steve says with a nervous laugh.

“Yeah. But I guess it should be. It would be weirder if we could just brush this off and go on with our lives” How could they? Their lives will never be the same again.

“But there's something bothering you, right? You've been silent ever since we came to the house”

“I have to call my mother” There, he's said it and it hangs in the air like a spider-web.

“Oh … Are you … close to her?”

“Sort of. It's complicated”

“I get it. Mothers. Remind me to tell you about mine, some time” Steve looks at his watch. “If you want to call her today, you should get on with it. It's around midnight over there”

“You're right. She's probably still out on the town, or just coming back” Richard pulls out his phone and tries for a video-call. She picks up after the second ring and he can see his apartment in the background. “Hello, Mother”

“Richard, dear, you look terrible. How are you? Is your holiday not going well?”

He decides to get the words out as soon as possible before they get stuck in his throat. “It's a long story … But so far, it has landed me at the McGarretts' house. You know, John McGarrett. My father” Next to him, Steve cringes visibly, obviously surprised by his bluntness.

“Oh, darling …” Martha slumps and takes a sip from her wine. “I always knew one day you'd find out and be mad at me for not telling you … How is John?”

“He's dead” Suddenly, Richard _is_ mad. Mad about all the things he's missed, all the opportunities he'll never have, because John is gone forever. And about how easily she can keep her composure. “Just tell me why, Mother? Why did you keep him from me?”

“I'm so sorry, son. I thought it would be better this way. At the time, it was just a holiday fling. I considered telling him about you, but then I realised, seeing as he was a cop, you'd be better off never knowing him than losing him to a dangerous job. And he was so far away, as well”

Richard notices Steve's discomfort and decides it's time to include him in this conversation. “We will talk about this properly, later. Right now, I'd like you to meet John's other son, Steve” He holds the phone away so Steve can lean into the picture.

“Good evening, Mrs. Rodgers”, he says with a guarded smile – not the one he shows around his friends.

“Please, dear boy, call me Martha … It's very nice to meet you. And it's good to know John had a family, too”

“He did” There is an unmistakeable flash of pain on Steve's face. “I have a younger sister, as well. Mary. I have a feeling you would like her”

“Well, maybe we can all meet some day and talk this out properly” The faint sound of the doorbell is transmitted across the Pacific. “Oh, sorry boys. My date is here. I promise, we will talk about this some more”

“Mother, wait” But she has already blown him a kiss and hung up. It's just so _her_. “Ladies and gentlemen, Martha Rodgers” Then it occurs to Richard that she'd just lied to them. She hadn't been dressed to go on a date – she was just literally saved by the bell.

Steve chuckles, despite himself. “She seems nice. And also …”

“Also what?”

“Well, you saw the photos of my Mum, earlier … Dad had a type” Steve shakes his head, again with a nervous laugh. Richard wonders what it's like for him, to find a brother so suddenly. “And you know what's also remarkable: Even though your mother kept you away from him, you ended up doing police-work. Well, you're not a cop, but still … Technically, neither am I”

“You're right. This hasn't even occurred to me. It's kinda funny, really … So, your mother. And your sister, especially – Do they know about these recent events?”

“Not yet, but they will. My relationship with my mother is way more complicated than you can imagine and Mary … She's fragile, you know. And she's been through so much emotionally, I can't just drop the bomb on her. But how else am I going to do it? … What about you? Have you told your daughter about this?”

“Not yet. There's been too much going on and it's too late at night now. But she'll be thrilled about it. Before long, she'll be on her way here with my mother, you'll see”

“To be honest, I think that would be very nice, if awkward. If they come over, Mary should be there, also”

“Are you planning a family reunion?” Kate laughs as she snatches up a towel. “Oh, the water is wonderful. You guys should go for a swim”

“Actually, I just might. What about you?” Steve gets up and sets the empty bottle down in the grass.

“Another time. I'll just watch the sunset with my girlfriend”

As soon as Steve has vanished beyond the waves, Kate sits down on the empty chair. “So? How are you doing?”

“We just talked to Mother. But you know what she's like … Steve is following his big brother's example and will talk to his sister and mother, too”

Kate gives him a bewildered look. “His mother? Rick, I checked up on him. His mother died twenty years ago”

 

*#*

 

“Morning. You were up early”, Castle says when Steve comes into the kitchen after a morning run and a shower. There is coffee and Castle is shovelling pancakes onto plates.

“Always am. But so were you, as I can see” Now that Steve thinks about it, he looks restless, like he hasn't slept much at all.

“One of the habits I picked up as a single father”

They sit and have breakfast in silence for a while (the pancakes are great), then Steve decides to ask one of the hundred awkward questions on his mind. “So, listen, there's something weird I've been meaning to ask … uhm, I don't know what to call you. I mean, even your girlfriend calls you by your pen name but … well, you're my brother and …”

“Rick. You can call me Rick, if the other name bothers you”

“Okay” Yeah, that's way better than calling your brother by a fake name. Steve assumes Beckett does it because she's always called him that.

“While we're at it, I also have a weird question. But it goes way deeper than yours and you don't have to answer it … Your mother. Kate said she found out that she'd …”

Steve has known all along that he'd have to explain that sooner or later. “Died twenty years ago, yeah. Officially, she did. She faked her death to protect us from her enemies … I was 15, my sister was 9”

“Her enemies?”

“She was a spy. I only found out about all of this a couple months ago and I'm still figuring everything out … I can't tell you much more, it's an ongoing investigation. To tell you would put you in danger and, believe me, too many people have gotten hurt over this … It's also very painful for me” Steve doesn't know why he's said that last part, but Castle – Rick – has a way of making him talk.

“I understand”

The door opens and Steve expects Beckett, but Danny comes in instead. “Hey, McGarrett brothers. I just realised I don't actually have to pick you up because my car is way too small for four people”

“And yet here you are”

“Force of habit” Danny lets his hands slide across Steve's shoulders for a few seconds before sitting down and Rick almost chokes on his coffee. Steve is beginning to see a pattern here: He probably believed Danny and him were together. It's not the first time someone thinks that and it doesn't bother Steve at all.

Rick gets a grip on himself pretty quickly. “Danny, have some pancakes while they're still hot”

“Wow, thanks. You never make me pancakes, partner”

“Well, maybe you have to earn them first” Steve puts a hand on his arm and leans in with a mischievous grin. He wonders how far they can take it before Rick explodes and says something about it. It'll be a nice distraction from the threatening storm cloud of thoughts about his mother. But he is interrupted by his phone announcing a message from Kono. “News on the case. We should finish up and get to work”

 


	5. Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some Gaelic (source: Google Translate) spoken/written in this chapter. I know it's highly unlikely for Irish Americans to speak this language but I just couldn't resist, because Gaelic rocks. (My OCs weren't Irish when I first created them, but then "Shipping up to Boston" came up on my playlist and it sort of happened)

“You remember the grey van from the security-video? HPD found it abandoned in the parking-lot of Kahala Mall” Kono pulls up pictures on the screen, just as Chin Ho comes in with a box.

“This is everything they found in the van. Well, there was also a handgun with the serial number filed off but that's in the lab right now, plus a suitcase full of clothes and things, also in the lab” He spreads out a few evidence bags containing documents and other random stuff. “The van was rented by our victim, as Connor Moore, the day he arrived and his are the only fingerprints in it. It has no GPS-tracker, so there's no telling where he went”

“It's a pretty bold move, isn't it?”, Steve asks but no-one seems to understand what he is playing at, “Leaving the van at Kahala Mall, after they meticulously managed to avoid being properly caught on camera while killing Oran”

“They also avoided traffic-cams on the way over there. The only clear shot we have of the driver is this” Kono shows them a grainy picture of a figure dressed in black running away from the van in the parking-lot. Before she can continue, an e-mail arrives. “Ah, good news. This is security-footage from the hotel. Let's see if they were as careful as we thought” The video was filmed from the side-entrance, the van covering half of what's going on. They can see Oran with his hands up, backing away from someone and ducking from time to time until he falls to his knees, then the flash of the gunshot and he falls to the ground, dead. The killer is only seen properly for a few seconds, opening the door on the back of the van, which obscures the rest of the scene, but it is obvious that the dead body is hauled into the vehicle. Richard flinches when he sees himself run towards the crime-scene and be clocked over the head with the gun. The killer pulls him into the van as well and, after a few seconds, closes the door and proceeds to drive off.

“That's it? You can't even tell if that's a man or a woman” Danny is right. The killer is dressed in a loose black hoodie and equally black cargo-pants, wears boots and leather-gloves. The hood is pulled over their head in such a way that nothing is really visible. Judging from height and figure, it might be a woman or a rather small man.

“Yeah, but just think about the cojones on this guy – or girl. The risk they're taking, shooting someone with what is obviously a revolver, in a residential area at 9:30 p. m.” Steve sounds like he really almost admires the killer. “The whole block must've heard that shot. It would've been way easier and safer to just knock Oran out and shoot him somewhere else or lure him somewhere else in the first place. And then there is a witness”

“And I still don't remember anything” Richard had expected at least some flashes of memory to come back when he saw the video, but nothing so far. He feels pretty useless. And pretty stupid after seeing it. “What was I thinking? I didn't even take my phone out with me”

Kate puts a consoling hand on his arm. “You probably didn't know there was a gun involved. You must've seen the fight from the window and run down to help. When you arrived, he'd already been shot … All of this tells us that our killer is confident and cold-blooded”

“I agree” Steve runs the video again. “Just check this out, it's in real time. The risk, the speed and efficiency, the lack of evidence … Guys, I think we're dealing with someone who does this for a living”

“Which backs up the theory of a mob hit”, Danny continues, “There's just one thing I don't understand: The mob doesn't do things by halves. Why didn't they shoot the witness as well? No offence, buddy”

“None taken … Maybe they were trying to make me a suspect or trying to confuse the investigators. Slow them down so the killer can escape. Or maybe they thought if they drugged me, no-one would believe me when I told you what I saw …”

“And what about the thing with the hotel-room? That doesn't make sense. How did they even know which room you were staying in?” Thoughtfully, Kono looks at the map of all the places that are of interest for the case.

“It might just have nothing to do with it”, Chin Ho suggests, “This might even not be a mob hit at all. Maybe they're just trying to make it look like one. We should keep an open mind for any possibility”

“Chin is right. We should stick to the facts. For example”, Steve holds up an evidence bag with a key and another one with a document, “Oran rented the van at the airport. This key might belong to a locker there. Danny and I will check it out. Chin and Kono, try to retrace Oran's steps here on the island. Beckett, Rick – you should retrace your own steps, maybe you'll find out if the hotel-room is a different case and someone was following you. Also, you should check back with your people in New York”

 

*#*

 

“So, are things going well with your … brother?” Danny is obviously trying to sound casual and hide his curiosity.

“I guess so, yeah. It's still weird, but I think I like him” And that is the full truth, so far. It doesn't mean that Steve trusts him, not as long as they're still in the middle of this case. It might still all be a decoy and Rick might turn out to be involved in Oran's death in another way. Steve can't afford to let him into his heart just yet.

“And that's it? There's something bothering you, I can tell – something personal. And now that I think about it, it's been going on since before Castle came along”

Steve considers for a long moment. Danny can (and will) be pushy about stuff like this but … but he's his best friend. “It's me and Catherine, I guess. Well, actually, it's just me”

“What's going on?”

“I … I don't know. I guess I just fell out of love with her” It's really not a good idea to discuss this while driving, but now it's too late. “We're not fighting or anything, it's just … we used to be easy around each other, you know. And we're not anymore”

“Have you talked to her?”

“Not really”

“Steven!”

“I tried, okay. But she's like me when it comes to talking about stuff. That's why we worked so well as long as there was nothing to talk about” It sounds too easy and it probably is, but it's the best Steve can come up with right now.

Danny hesitates before speaking and if that isn't the weirdest thing Steve has seen in a while … “Well, I hate to say it, because I really like her, but if you're not comfortable and you can't fix it, maybe you should break up”

“I know. I've been trying to find the right moment … On the other hand, maybe I _can_ fix it. I don't want to lose her” Another thing that sounds too easy.

Danny sighs deeply. “You're unbelievable. Between your commitment issues and your abandonment issues, how can you even function? My head would be spinning … Just talk to her properly, okay? Promise me”

“I promise” Steve knows Danny won't let this go, but maybe that's a good thing. It will force him to finally make some kind of move.

They have arrived at the airport and proceed to the luggage-lockers. Oran Kearney's key opens one in the middle of the block and it contains, first and foremost, a blue duffel-bag. Steve considers for a moment and then deems it unlikely to be a bomb. As soon as he pulls the zip, money starts spilling out.

Danny whistles and picks up one of the packets. “Where d'you think he got that kinda money from?”

“No idea. There's 500 grand in here, easy” He closes the bag back up and hands it over to Danny. In the back of the locker, there are two passports – one for Oran Kearney, one for Connor Moore – a flash drive and a letter marked “Faye”. “Maybe this will shed some light. Also, we should trace the serial numbers and find out where the money came from … I think, Oran was going to pick up his sister and make a run for it”

“Running from the mob, probably. That would explain a lot. Especially, why he was killed”

 

*#*

 

While Steve and Danny are waiting for the others to come back with results and present their findings – or in Rick's case to finish the conversation with his daughter – a video-call rings through the office. A rather sparkish-looking detective Ryan is on the other end, holding a large coffee-cup.

“Morning. Just checking in to see if you've got anything”

“We do. But we're waiting for the others to get back, so we won't have to say it three times”, Danny explains, “You look like you've had quite a good day so far”

“We had. After all, we got a head-start … It won't be easy keeping each other in the loop with the time difference, but we're doing our best” Ryan holds up an old-fashioned alarm-clock, the kind Wile E. Coyote would use to build a bomb with, set to Honolulu's time-zone with a post-it note declaring it “Island Time”.

“Very sophisticated”, Danny says, then adds after a short silence: “It's good to see you again. Been way too long”

“Ditto. Dude, I didn't even know you'd moved to Hawaii”

“Well, this is where my ex-wife and daughter moved after the divorce and I followed so I could be with Grace”

“She's about ten now, isn't she? I remember you showing me pictures of her as a little kid”

Steve decides to seize the opportunity. “So, what was Danno like, back in the day?”

“Oh, man, he was a piece of work. The first time, he arrested me during a raid, but not for the drugs – for prostitution because, and I quote, I was _way too pretty to be one of the bad guys, babe_ ” Ryan imitates Danny's accent perfectly and Steve can't help but double over laughing. “And I had to let him believe it for a while; no-one was supposed to know about what I was doing. It became sort of a running joke after that”

“To be fair”, Danny chimes in, “All the other guys there that day were twice your size. Huge, tattooed biker types. And you were … well, _you_ ” Danny indicates Ryan's general form and even on the screen Steve can see that next to guys built like refrigerators, he would look like a puppy, even today. “And you were _young_ , kid. To me, you looked like a 17-year-old hooker”

“Is that why you put those cuffs on me so tight? … Seriously, he did that every time. I can still feel 'em. And you kept flirting with me even after you knew who I was”

“Well, it was up to both of us to make it look convincing, and to the other cops, too. You and your super-secret assignment … almost a bit like Steve here and his classified missions” Danny isn't the slightest bit apologetic.

“Yeah, those make him so angry, you wouldn't believe it”, Steve explains.

“Oh, I believe it” Ryan laughs and shakes his head. “It's nice to see Danny hasn't changed that much. I got the “Are you trying to kill yourself or me or all of us”-speech only once but I suppose you get to hear a lot of it”

“You bet I do … But it's really adorable”

“Hello? I'm still here, you know … I honestly don't know why I put up with you” Danny gives Steve one of his trademark glares.

“Because you love me”, Steve replies cheerfully and for a moment, he imagines he sees a stricken look on Danny's face, but then the glare is back full force.

“Bite me”

“Yo. I see you guys are catching up” In New York, Esposito sits down next to his partner. Or rather, almost in his lap. Steve had already noticed that these two were way too far in each other's space the first times they had seen them. And that makes him wonder several things: Is it what it looks like? Is that why Rick just assumed that he and Danny were together, because he's used to seeing his partners like that? Does it, added to everything else he either knows or is assuming about Detective Ryan, mean that he and Danny might have had something going on, back in the day after Danny's divorce? And why in hell does that make Steve feel so jealous?

“Just sharing some inside info about Danny here”, Steve answers without missing a beat.

“Well, how about some inside info on the case?” Beckett suddenly says from the doorway and both Ryan and Esposito take their feet off the table and sit straight, respectively. She clearly has some authority over these boys, although she is young and female. Steve admires that but it also makes him stay wary.

It looks like everyone else have finished their phone-calls, so Steve starts spreading the evidence on the table. “This is what we found in the airport-locker”, he says when Rick and both Hawaiian detectives have joined them, “Exactly $503,792 in cash. We traced about half of it back to a bank-robbery in Rapid City, South Dakota, on Thursday. No idea why and how he got to that place but the guy on the security-video matches Oran's height and build, so it is pretty likely that he robbed that bank. We also found a flash-drive and a letter to his sister that reads as follows: _Die … dei … dafhire-_ ”

“ _Deirfiúr daor_?”, Ryan suggests, “It means “dear sister” in Gaelic, if I'm not mistaken”

“You speak Gaelic?”, Esposito asks, clearly surprised.

“Just a tiny little bit. It was kind of like a secret code among the kids in the neighbourhood where I grew up … Don't tell me the rest is in Gaelic, too?”

“No, it's in English”, Steve continues, “So: _Dear sister,_

_first things first: if you're reading this, I'm probably dead. If that is the case, I want you to take the money and run as fast and as far as you can. Once you're safe, use the stuff on the flash-drive to put them all behind bars or keep them in check, at least. Be quick, because apparently they've set Lilith on me and we both know what that means._

_Faye, I want you to know that you've been one of the most important people in my life. I_ _would walk through hell and back again for you which, since you're reading this, I'm probably doing right now. Please forgive me for all the trouble I've caused you. Everything I did, I did out of love for you. But now, you'll have to watch your own back. Please promise me you'll be safe, so my bones can rest eas_ _y. Remember that family matters more than all the money in the world._ _Graw … gray …_ something?” Steve holds the paper up for Ryan to see.

 

“ _Ghrá liom tú go deo na ndeor_. It means “I love you forever and always”, or something like that”

“So, what is on the flash-drive?”, Rick asks breathlessly.

Steve looks around and holds the suspense for a few seconds. “Nothing. It's completely empty. And not deleted files kind of empty, just plain brand new. Someone must've switched it out. No fingerprints on it, either, and the other things only had Oran's prints. We're waiting for security-footage from the airport. Maybe it happened while the bag was there”

“But why switch it out? Why not just take the money, destroy the rest and get the hell out? That way, we would've just found an empty locker. Someone is playing games with us” Beckett shuffles the money packets like cards with a dismal expression.

“Maybe the more constructive question is: Who's Lilith?”, Danny suggests.

“And that's where we come in”, Esposito answers, “We've been talking to our vic's neighbours and one old lady told us that he came to her door with his bags all packed and said to her, if the police came looking for him, to tell us one word: Lilith. So, we looked into it and it turns out that Lilith is a mysterious contract killer, believed to be an Urban Legend … She also told us that Oran had a fight with a woman a day before he disappeared, who wasn't his girlfriend. We're still trying to find both the girlfriend and the other woman”

“Good. What else have we got?”, Beckett addresses Chin and Kono as a matter of course.

“Well, not much”, Kono answers in her usual relaxed way, “Oran Kearney came to the island on a flight from L. A. using that name, rented a van at the airport and then presumably went to visit his sister. No credit card transactions, no speeding tickets or anything and his phone, which we never found, was turned off almost all the time. The problem is, we don't know how he even got to L. A. There's no record of either of his aliases on any flight in the last week. He probably used another name or two. TSA is going through their database now, to find out where he came from which could take a while. But that bank heist in Rapid City is at least a point to start”

“You do that. Anything else?”, Steve asks this time, not to upset the status quo of who is calling the shots here.

“The final ballistics report” Chin pulls it up on the screen. “As we already know, Oran Kearney was shot with a revolver, with .44 Special ammo. The interesting part is that this particular gun has been the murder weapon in at least two dozen unsolved homicides since the late '80s on the East Coast, mainly in the Tri-States-Area and in Boston. Looks like our killer has been around for a while”

“And it looks like the killer followed Oran here. It must've been someone he knew, someone who was aware that his sister lives here and this is where he'd go. We have to talk to the sister again, while Kono stays on the question of how he got here. Chin, see what you can find out about these older murders” Steve turns to the video screen. “Team New York -”

“You stay on the lead with the woman and the girlfriend. We also need to know if there was anyone holding a grudge against our vic and get their locations”, Beckett cuts in.

“On it, boss”

Damn, this lady sure likes to be in charge. Steve isn't really sure if he appreciates that. He'll probably have to have a serious talk with Detective Beckett and make it clear that, when it comes down to it, he is the boss. He can't risk anyone's lives in a shoot-out situation because there are doubts about whose lead to follow.

He decides that a few motivational words are called for. “Okay, people. We all know contract killers are tough bastards to catch, especially with a background of organised crime. But if this Lilith person has really been around for so long, she must've made a mistake sometime somewhere and we will find her. So, let's get on with it”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Clarify: Ryan and Esposito are not a couple in this story, it is just an assumption Steve makes. There was also nothing going on between Danny and Ryan, at least in my personal headcanon. (If someone wants to take that idea and run, though, I'd like to read about it)


	6. Sisters

Faye Kearney is exactly what Richard had expected her to be: half human, half fairy – with long blonde hair, a dusting of freckles across her pale cheeks and big blue eyes that fill with tears as she reads her brother's letter. There is a lilt in her voice that suggests she grew up around people with Real Irish Accents. She looks like she couldn't hurt a fly but there is something else to her, a hardness hidden underneath, like a reinforced steel-door on a vault.

“Did you know anything about the money or the bank-robbery?”, Steve asks carefully.

“No, Oran didn't say a word. He left this with me. It was hidden in my tea-pot and I found it this morning” She holds up a duplicate key to the airport-locker. “I guess I was supposed to find the money but you guys beat me to it”

“And can you imagine what was on that flash-drive?”

“No idea. As I said, he was into some shady stuff but he never told me any details, said it was safer this way”

“Do you know who Lilith is? The letter suggests that you do”

“Isn't she some demon from the Bible? I don't know, Oran's mind was weird like that, sometimes”

“Do you or your brother have any connection with Rapid City, South Dakota?”, Richard asks. This has been bothering him since they'd heard about it first. Why rob a bank there? Why not in New York? And the choice seems so random, it can't be a coincidence. There are no coincidences in a homicide investigation.

“Rapid City … It does ring a bell … Oh, yes, it's where Mount Rushmore is. We went there with our parents when we were little and … and when they died in that avalanche in the Rockies we went to Idaho to … get their bodies and on the way home we got into a storm and had to land and I believe it was in Rapid City … I'm not really sure, I was only 9. I remember sitting on the floor in that airport – it was the only time I saw Oran cry” Faye is staring off into the distance, curled up on the armchair in Steve's office.

“Why did you and Oran have to go to Idaho? You were only children” Richard can't imagine what it must've been like for a little girl to lose her parents like that and then get dragged across half the country to collect their dead remains.

“Well, Oran was 15 and he had to … to identify the bodies, just to make sure. Our cousin went with him and there was no-one else to watch me, so I had to come, too”

Steve seems lost in thought for a moment and some cryptic emotion shows on his face. Richard can't quite put his finger on it until his memory flashes back to their conversation over breakfast. _I was 15, my sister was 9_. Well, shit.

But Steve pulls himself together pretty quickly. “Faye, another thing. Do you know if Oran had a girlfriend?”

“He used to date an architecture-student named Mara something or other, back when I still lived in New York. But that was eight months ago. I don't know if they were still seeing each other”

“Thank you. If you can think of anything else that might help us, just call”

She gets up, then hesitates, picking on the edges of her sleeves. “The letter … Can I have it?”

“Right now, it's evidence, but I'll make sure you get it once this investigation is over” From the way Steve says it, it's not a hollow promise.

“Thank you”, she whispers and leaves.

“So, what do you make of her?”, Steve asks.

“I'm not sure. I have a feeling she isn't telling us the whole truth. Why didn't you ask her about Oran's fake identity?”

“Because I knew she'd say she had no idea”

“Do you think it's true? That she didn't really know what her brother was up to, didn't know about the mob connection? I mean, how can you be so close to someone for so long and not know?” Richard finds that hard to believe.

“Trust me, it's possible – ask my mother. But then again, Oran wasn't a spy, at least not that we know of” It truly is astonishing how Steve can say these things with a straight face while Richard's own composure threatens to slip just imagining it. “I agree with you, though. Something is off about that girl. She knows something, that's for sure … Still, half of me wants to give her the money and tell her to run and don't look back”

“You have to get a grip on that, buddy”, Danny says from the doorway.

“What do you mean?” It's more of a rhetorical question, Richard can tell that from Steve's face. He knows exactly what Danny means.

“Oh, come on. We all know who you see in that girl. But you can't go soft on everybody's little sister, especially if they're suspects”

“Well, is she a suspect?”

“For now, yes. The only one we have. And let me just remind you that she told us where she was at the time of the murder even before we asked – which no-one can confirm, by the way. You can't let her off the hook because of your emotions”

“Oh, now you're complaining about my _emotions_. Aren't you the guy who always tells me to be more human? And, for the record, I'm not letting her off the hook”

“Look, all I'm saying is, tune down your big brother instinct a little bit and stay objective. She's not Mary”

Richard is still a little stunned by how these two talk to each other. How have they been working together without killing each other for so long? But at a closer look, he can see that, while they are serious about what they say, there's no real bite behind it, even though Steve gives Danny a sulky stare that would be terrifying to an outsider.

“So, what are we going to do about Faye?” Richard uses the charged silence to his advantage. “Let's do a background check, just to be sure”

“Way ahead of you, Castle”, Danny answers and puts his usually talking hands in his pockets, “I checked out her financials and employment history and since she moved here eight months ago, she's only had odd jobs and didn't make enough even to support that sorry dump of a house she lives in. It was the same when she still lived in New York. Landlord says she always pays her rent on time, in cash. Her records suggest that she pays everything in cash, probably even those Italian designer shoes I spotted when we were at her place”

“So, she's moonlighting. That's not a … well, technically it is a crime, but it doesn't mean she's into the same shady stuff her brother was” Steve shrugs it off, but obviously just to keep Danny on track of his argument.

“It doesn't have to. But we all know that this island has become a popular spot for drug-trafficking and I'll give you one guess what the main business of that gang is, you know, the one Oran was working for … A girl like Faye would be the perfect middleman. The way she looks, most people wouldn't give it a second thought, if she denied knowing anything about anything. Also, she owns a gun. Granted, it's not a .44 Special revolver, it's a 9 mil semi-auto, but she's not stupid enough to kill anyone with a registered gun, anyway. So, Faye doesn't have an alibi, her finances are ominous and she knows how to shoot” Now, to Steve's delight, Danny is wildly talking with his hands again.

“If knowing how to shoot makes people suspects, then most Americans are potential killers. And, just to remind you, we're looking for a hired assassin who's been around since the '80s”

“That's not the point, Steven. The point is, we can't rule her out. The _gun_ has been around for 30 years, doesn't mean the killer has … So, all I'm saying is, keep an open mind about her. Don't do your usual stubborn “unchangeable opinion” thing, please”

“Okay”

“Good”

“Why didn't you just say that from the start?”

“You know what? You are impossible” Danny turns away angrily but Richard catches his smile in the reflection on the glass-door as he leaves. He's sure Steve does, too.

“Are you two always like that?”, Richard asks. It does remind him of himself and Kate a bit, especially of the way they were at the start. And if Steve's pretty girlfriend hadn't walked through the door the other night, there'd be no convincing Richard now that the two of them _weren't_ a couple. Also, it's blatantly obvious that Danny has a massive crush on Steve. And the more he thinks about it, whatever the circumstances – there's still something in the way Steve looks at Danny, too. Something that goes a little too far.

“That's the way we work; we bounce off each other. It's exhausting for anyone else to sit through, I know”

“It's kind of hard to get a word in, too”

“Well, what were you going to say?”

“Nothing. Just pointing it out”

 

*#*

 

In his head, Steve has gone through all the uncomfortable conversations he has yet to have and decided to talk to Catherine first. But now, as he is standing in her kitchen, watching her put the groceries away, he isn't sure if he can still go through with this. Because, what does he want, really? Not this. But what?

“Are you going to stand there all night? … Honestly, Steve, what's been going on with you?”

So, she _has_ noticed. There's no way back now. “Do you sometimes feel like we're living a lie?”

“What do you mean?”

“Us … this relationship. We've been doing this for so long, shouldn't there be … more?”

Catherine looks at him with wide terrified eyes. “What are you trying to tell me?”

That's when Steve realises that, from a certain angle, what he has said sounds like a very ramshackle, uncertain marriage proposal and he could kick himself. That's why he never talks about his feelings, it just makes things worse. “I mean, we were _good_ once, everything was easy and cool. And, for me, it's not anymore. It feels like every day we're drifting further apart and we're just hanging on to this because we're both too stubborn to let go and admit we've failed”

Catherine sighs and leans against the kitchen counter. “You're right. I've been trying to keep things up and normal because I thought if I did it long enough, we would come 'round. But we can't fix this, can we?”

Steve considers it for a moment. “No, I don't think we can … But what we can do is let go before our friendship suffers too much” After all, they had been friends for years before they became … well, whatever it is they are.

“I'm glad we talked about this”

“Me, too” And it really was less painful than he had expected. “We'll probably see each other as much as before, but … Goodbye, sort of” She laughs softly as he hugs her.

“See you around, sailor”, she says and kisses his cheek.

Wow, that really went well, Steve thinks once he's closed the front-door from the outside. They're still friends, they're still on the same wavelength in some way …Oddly, Steve is feeling the same kind of relief he feels when they've rescued a kidnapped person or arrested a dangerous fugitive. It's something he never allows himself to enjoy for too long because he needs to stay on his toes for the next case and the next. This time, he decides to take advantage of it, pulls over at a nice spot with a view and calls Mary. His heartbeat synchronises with the slow rolling of the waves while he waits for her to pick up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Mary. How you doing, kid?”

“Fine?” She hesitates, waits in that suspicious McGarrett kind of way. “What's wrong? You sound … weird”

“Nothing's wrong. Not really. But … Are you at home? Sitting down?”

“Y-yes … Is it something about Mom?”

“No, this time it's about Dad”

“Dammit, Steve, just tell me already” He hears a lighter click and a very annoyed exhaling of smoke.

“Okay, so: Before our parents met, Dad had an affair with an actress and … she got pregnant. But she never told him. She raised their son on her own, in New York”

“Wait, wait. Are you telling me we have an older brother?”

“Yeah. And he's here. Actually he and his girlfriend are staying with me. Long story”

Mary is silent for half a minute or so, but he can still hear her move about, so she hasn't fainted or anything. “This is … wow. I can't … My God, Steve. And Dad never knew about him. That's … pretty sad” After another short break, she whispers: “What's his name?”

“Richard Castle. You know, the novelist”

“What, seriously? That is so cool … And another one in the family preoccupied with crime”

That was fast going from stunned to excited to 'welcome to the family', even for Mary, The Emotional One. But Steve decides to take it and laughs. “Exactly what I said at some point … Listen, when I'm back at the house later, we could skype and you could meet him”

“Why skype? I could come over. After all, I wasn't there for Christmas”

And they both know why. Although Mary had made her peace with Doris a little while ago, she couldn't have spent Christmas with her pretending like everything was fine and like they hadn't stood at Doris' grave and mourned for her and lived all these years coming to terms with her death. Steve agrees, nothing is really fine when it comes to Doris, but he can pretend, at least.

“Of course you could come over, if you have time”

“One of my colleagues can cover for me for a few days, I'm sure they'll understand … So, what is our brother's take on surprises?”

“Honestly? I have no idea”

 


	7. Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, if anyone was waiting. I've been trying to turn this fic into something I'm actually happy with/confident about, but I couldn't get past the block in my head. I'll just leave it as it is now and post the rest of it in one go.
> 
> That being said, this chapter contains my first car-chase which was fun to write but a bit awkward seeing as I don't usually drive. Or, in Danny Williams' words: I can drive, I just choose not to. I hope it's not too weird.

“Steve, we have a problem”, Chin says the next morning after he has closed the door to Steve's office, “Like you asked, I used your bug to pull the GPS-data from Beckett's phone and I checked it against the list they gave us when they retraced their steps on the island – there's one bar that's not on the list”

“Well, maybe they forgot that one”

“Maybe. But isn't it a strange coincidence that the same bar is one of the locations where Oran Kearney's phone was active, at the exact same time as Beckett's?” Chin shows him the cell-phone-records.

Just as Steve had started to cut back his suspicions … “So there _is_ something going on. I'll take a wild guess that Oran was ready to rat out his gang but he wasn't going to do it in New York, within their reach. So they set up a meet here. I still believe that he was murdered by the Mafia, but Beckett knows more than she's letting on”

“How are you gonna play it? You want me to run tabs on her phone?”

“I think we can stop the surveillance. It's too late, anyway. She probably already called in to say the mission failed … I'm going to ask her. And if she doesn't tell me the truth, I'll ask her Captain”

They leave the office but Beckett is not outside with the others – she is sitting in Chin's office, on his computer. It's one of those “Oh shit”-moments, but there's no stopping it now. Also, they were going to give it away, anyway.

“Why did you let her use my computer?”, Chin asks Kono quietly, so Danny and Rick won't hear it.

“Well, she wanted to write an important private e-mail and mine is being de-bugged …” Kono's voice trails off and she goes pale. “Oh, shit”

“You!” Beckett strides out of Chin's office, truly terrifying. “You are spying on me ?! What the hell is the matter with you ?!”

“Kate, it's not his fault, he was just doing my dirty work” Steve steps forward and holds the phone-records up like a shield. “Maybe you could finally come clean about the covert op you're running on our island, so we don't _have to_ spy on you”

“What ?! What are you talking about?”

Steve has the nagging feeling that her surprise is real, but he can't let it go that easily. “You were in the same bar at the same time as our victim. Now, tell me, was he or wasn't he going to testify against his bosses?”

“Seriously? You know what, I'm out. I'm done. If you can't trust me, McGarrett, you're on your own” She turns on her heel and walks to the exit.

“I'll go after her” Rick is almost already on his way, but Steve stops him.

“No, I'll talk to her. Just tell me one thing: Am I right? Was she here to meet Oran Kearney?”

“Absolutely not. We were here on holiday and the rest is just one _huge_ misunderstanding. She would've told me if she was on the job … I don't even remember going to that particular bar, let alone if that guy was there”

“Okay … If I don't come back, she's probably shot me” Steve jogs out after her and sees her cross the street, looking like she knows exactly where she's going – but she doesn't know and turns around indecisively before walking through the gates of Kawaiahao Church and sitting down on its front steps. Steve sits down next to her a minute later.

“Come to apologise?”, she asks after a short silence.

“No … Come on, Beckett. Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing if I had stumbled into one of your cases”

“And don't you tell me, you wouldn't have been mad at me if I had”

“You're right, I would've been” But Steve is still convinced that he has done the right thing. It's better to be safe than sorry – and he's definitely not sorry.

“So, what now?” Her voice is calm and Steve doesn't know if that's good or bad.

“Give me your phone” She hands it over and he pulls off the battery cover and takes the tiny little bug out.

“When did you even …? Oh, forget it … It breaks your trust, this job, doesn't it?”

“Or maybe it's the other way round. If we were people who trusted, we wouldn't be doing this job … You see how I came to my conclusions and suspicions, right?”

“I do. But why do you think I would keep something like that from you? I'd have come to you directly and told you I'd lost my witness”

“With all due respect, Kate – I don't know you. I don't know what sort of cop you are or how you work. And stranger things have happened, you know” But he believes her now.

“I understand. I'm not mad because you were suspicious, I am mad because you never even tried to ask me properly. Granted, you wouldn't have believed my answer, but you could've at least asked, instead of going behind my back without blinking, intelligence operation style, right from the start. I hate that”

“Okay, for that I apologise. Next time, before I disbelieve you, I will ask”

She grins and Steve hopes that that means everything is good again. “Danny is right, you are insufferable … I'm still angry, but I guess I'll get over it”

“Come on, Detective Beckett. I'll buy you a shave ice and then we can get back to work” He pulls her up from the steps and they walk away, laughing.

 

*#*

 

Richard is relieved to see Kate and Steve come back in good spirits. He himself is not angry with Steve at all – he'd expected something like that from an ex-Navy Intelligence guy whose mother is a spy. It's very much in character. Also, Steve kind of gets the “little brother”-bonus.

“Right. Now that we're all good again: What've we got?”, Steve asks.

“Danny and I went through the old murder files. Nothing ever really connected the cases and they just went cold after a while. The interesting thing is, the murders stopped in 2002 and then started again three years ago. Which means, either the killer was out of the country or in jail”, Chin explains.

“Or it's two different killers who just happen to use the same gun”, Danny adds, “The murders before '02 all happened in abandoned houses, industrial sites and generally more remote places and the victims were always shot in the head at least once, sometimes after the first shot had killed them – whereas the new ones were almost all committed in the street and left in plain sight. The last one before Oran even happened in broad daylight. Most victims were shot in the chest, only two had head shots”

“So, there's no real pattern. The new murders are just bolder … Did the killer leave any messages? The Mafia likes to do that” Kate scans the crime-scene photos thoughtfully.

“Not that anyone noticed. But we might have overlooked something. Maybe only the people who it is intended for get the message and to the rest of us it just looks random”, Chin suggests.

Richard never knows where they come from but he suddenly has one of his epiphanies. “Maybe it's the places. That could be the message. Look at that guy there. He was found behind a Chinese restaurant, set up against the door – that could mean he was in bed with the Triads or other Asian gangs. This other one was found beside the railway-tracks, his arms pointing down the tracks, which could either mean that he was going to run away or working for someone, like a rival boss, from out of town. And this one – come on, it's obvious” He points to a picture of a young man sitting up against one of those subway posters that tells people to call the police if they see anything suspicious, his blood spattered across the letters, his lips punched bloody.

“He was talking to the cops. Now that you mention it, it is obvious”, Steve answers, “Maybe you could go through all of them and see what you can come up with. It might give us a clue who this killer really works for. It's a long shot, but it's worth a try”

“It might be more helpful than you think. We might find out if anyone was following Oran on his way here once we know who and what to look for, seeing as I've finally puzzled his journey together” Kono pulls up a map on the screen. “So, we already knew he came via L. A., but how did he get there? He came by bus, from Las Vegas, where he had lost and then won back a lot of his money. We have him on security-videos of several casinos for a few hours, gambling away happily until he suddenly gets nervous and leaves”

“That's pretty clever, you know”, Danny puts in, “The guy robbed a bank – what's a better and quicker way to launder the money? If he got rid of it in Vegas before the alert about the serial numbers of his bills reached the banks there, he couldn't be tied to the evidence”

“Exactly. Which is why he flew there straight from Rapid City under a simple throwaway alias. And that was already the second time he was faster than the system: A week ago, Oran robbed a casino in Atlantic City and paid the bus to Baltimore and the flight to Minneapolis with some of the money that he'd stolen. He then used his – Connor Moore's – credit card to pay for a flight to Dallas and a subsequent bus ticket to Monterrey, Mexico, while in reality he got on a bus to Rapid City, paid in cash. Obviously, he was running from something and I've watched all the security-footage of him I could find from airports and bus stations – the guy didn't have a plan. He just randomly went East, always picking the next best connection, always looking over his shoulder. If anyone had managed to retrace his journey, he'd have been long gone until they got there”

“Nice work, Kono”, Steve and Kate say almost at the same moment. Well, at least they're agreeing. And so is everyone else. It was a hell of a fiddly job and Richard had tried to help her along at times but he hadn't been of much use, not knowing what to look for and where to look.

“I suppose if anyone had followed him, you would've noticed on the videos”, Steve says.

“Not necessarily, if the person changed their appearance. Oran always stayed in the crowd so it's even harder to tell if anyone was following. But it would be another explanation how they found him here … By the way, you remember that empty flash-drive from the locker? While I was at it, I checked the videos from the airport, but it's a dead-end. Our killer picked the lock and switched them out but he – or she – was still wearing the black clothes and didn't slip up”

The ringtone of Beckett's cell-phone interrupts whatever anyone was going to say. “Yes, Espo. You're on speaker”

“So, we found the girlfriend – but there's no time to explain that now. You are looking for a man named Dante Piergiorgio, 51, an associate of the Gambinos. According to TSA, he was on a flight to O'ahu the day of the murder and arrived at 7:30 in the evening. There's no record of him leaving the island, so far. I've sent you all we have on him. Watch out, that guy is bad news”

“OK, thanks. We'll find him and you can tell us the rest later”

“I've found him!”, Kono says even before Beckett has hung up properly, “He rented a car under his own name and I've tracked it. It's parked in front of a house in Waipahu” A blinking red dot shows on the map.

“Oh no. That's Faye's address” Steve has gone pale and checks his gun nervously. “Everyone, gear up and let's go. We'll assume Piergiorgio's armed and looking for a shoot-out … Danny, Rick, you're with me. Beckett, you go with the others” He turns and walks out so fast they hardly have time to react.

“Don't get any ideas, Castle. I call shotgun”, Danny says as they exit the building.

“But I'm way too tall to sit in the back”

“And it's my car. I am not going to lose any more of it to a McGarrett … Now, please”

They put on bulletproof vests, get in the car and Steve drives off with screeching tires, while Danny tries to call Faye and warn her about the visitor in front of her door, but he can't reach her. They blow all the red lights on the way over and get there in less than 20 minutes. If this is the way Steve normally drives, Richard can understand why Danny is so against surrendering his car to him.

Their suspect's rental is parked across the street from what Richard presumes is Faye's house and an inconspicuous middle-aged man is sitting behind the wheel. Steve pulls up around the corner and calls Kono to tell her to stay at the other end of the road and wait.

“Okay, Rick, you stay here. I'm serious. If anyone starts shooting, you call the others” Steve pulls a gun from the glove compartment and hands it to him. “And no silly shit – Beckett warned me that you like to jump in front of danger”

Richard imagines he hears Danny say “Look who's talking” or something, as they walk away. He watches them run across the street, guns drawn, approaching the car from different angles. Then they're out of sight for a few moments, there's shouting and shooting and the sound of a car speeding away. It goes past the Camaro a second later. Richard is on the phone to Kate even before Steve and Danny have sprinted back.

“He's getting away on the other end of the street. Looks like we'll follow him” The car takes off like a rocket and Richard has to hold on.

“OK. We're still tracking his GPS-locator, Chin says we'll cut him off somewhere”, Kate replies, calm as always.

“Farrington Highway. I think that's where he's going”, Steve shouts over his shoulder and Danny slaps his arm.

“Watch the road!”

They cut so many corners, always following the blue Ford in front, that Richard starts feeling dizzy. The distance closes slowly, but every time they're gaining ground, he changes direction. Suddenly, Piergiorgio swerves to the right and cuts across a tiny little piece of grass between two houses.

“Don't do it!”, Danny yells but it's too late, Steve has already followed, “We'll get stuck, don't you see that? You really have a one-track-mind … How does this guy even know where he's going?”

“I hope he doesn't know and hits a dead-end somewhere. Why'd you think I'm not trying to pass him? He'd just take another corner once we're in front”

Richard wonders where Steve and Danny find the presence of mind to talk while they're being bumped from side to side as they follow the guy through people's backyards. The Ford breaks through a fence and drifts onto a bigger main road, going in the wrong lane. Steve follows, dangerously avoiding a huge white truck with an angry driver. OK, now Richard is officially scared. At the first opportunity, Steve changes into the right lane, probably hoping it will be faster, especially since people are moving out of their way upon hearing the sirens and seeing the lights. They are catching up to the fugitive fast, but the on-ramps for an even bigger road are coming up in front.

“We shouldn't let him get on the freeway”, Steve states calmly and puts the pedal down to the floor. “This street is too wide, we can't block him on our own”

Richard considers looking at the speed-metre for a second, then doesn't. Everything on the sides becomes a blur and he thinks about closing his eyes, but he can't. In the distance, more blue lights flash and someone's phone rings.

“We're coming up from the other side”, Kono's voice resounds from the speaker. She sounds completely chilled out, like this is everyday business.

“You block half the road. We'll get past him and block the other half”, Steve answers.

“Copy that”

Steve finally passes Piergiorgio and uses a gap in the grassy central barrier to get to the other lane. Up front, Chin turns Kono's car sideways and, by way of a handbrake-turn that would put the nastiest roller-coaster to shame, Steve stops, facing it. Richard is still busy finding out which way is up and trying to calm his heartbeat and his shaking hands, while someone drags him out of the car and makes him sit down on the other side of it. Everyone else is standing up and pointing guns at the fugitive who stops with squealing brakes. He starts to reverse but someone – Kono? – shoots out two of his tires.

“Dante Piergiorgio! It's over. Get out of the car!”, Steve shouts, “Put your hands where we can see 'em and get out slowly”

Apparently, the guy does as he is told. Richard chances a look through the side-window of the Camaro but what he sees doesn't look promising at all – it appears to be an assault rifle in the man's hands. The others see it, too, and he can literally feel them tense up.

“Don't even think about it … We just want to talk, OK?”, Kate says, “You raise that gun and you're not getting out of here alive, do you understand?”

“She's right, Dante. There's five of us, one will hit you. We just want to talk about Oran Kearney … Now, put it down”, Steve continues, “Put it down slowly and put your hands on your head … OK, book him, Danno” He holds his gun up until Danny has apparently reached the fugitive, then turns to Richard with a concerned frown. “Hey, are you alright? You look terrified”

“Yeah, just …” Richard finally manages to get up and stay on his feet without much trouble. “I'm a New Yorker. We don't go fast in cars, there's way too much traffic … But this _was_ kinda awesome”

 

*#*

 

“So, according to Team New York, the girlfriend Mara Giretto did nothing but confirm our suspicions that Oran was trying to get away from the Mafia. She didn't know details, though”, Steve explains, “What she did give them, without thinking twice, was one particular person who could've killed him: Dante Piergiorgio, who happens to be Mara's uncle … I think it's time to interrogate him, he's been in the basement for an hour. Detective Beckett, want to do the honours?”

“Of course. Let's do this”

“But, just so we're clear, I'm the boss” Steve is only half joking. 

She laughs anyway. “Alright, big guy. You can be the bad cop, if you want” 

They get into the elevator and go to the basement where their suspect is handcuffed to the chair. He really looks like nothing much – greying black hair, casual clothes, unremarkable yet handsome face – a guy who could hide in a crowd, if it wasn't for the scar across his throat and his piercing, malicious brown eyes. 

“Dante Piergiorgio”, Steve starts and gives him a once-over, “If it was up to me, we'd throw you in jail right away and avoid the paperwork, but unfortunately you'll have to confess first” 

“Confess to what exactly? … Listen, officer, I have the right to an attorney. I get a phone-call” 

“Sorry, pal. You ran from the wrong cops. Once you're in this room, I make the rules” 

“Dante, we're trying to get to the bottom of this”, Beckett cuts in at exactly the right time and plays friendly, “Just tell us why you ran away, for starters”

“Lady, what else was I gonna do? I had a rifle lying next to me and a reputation to my name so bad, I'm sure it's reached even this little rock you're living on … And just because I'm an Italian with a gold-watch and a rap sheet, doesn't mean I'm always up to something. That's so cliché, I could report you for racial harassment” 

“Let's just keep to the facts. Why did you have a rifle? I can help you, Dante, if you just come clean” 

But he doesn't answer. “It's alright, you don't have to say anything”, Steve takes over, “We know you were going to kill Faye Kearney and finish the job” In reality, they know nothing. It's hard to tell without proper analysis, but this guy probably isn't the killer from the video. He's not tall, but still a little too tall and burly to be the person in black. But, at least he's old and criminal enough to have committed those other murders. 

“Faye who? What job are you talking about? I'm here strictly on private business” 

“Well, what business? Come on, Dante. If you've done nothing wrong, we can't keep you here” 

“OK. I was looking for someone. Family problems. The gun was just for self-defence and I'm sure this fine state's legal system has better things to do than prosecute me for illegal possession” It sounds like it could actually be close to the truth. 

“That largely depends on what you can tell us about Oran Kearney, why you were looking for him and why he ended up dead in the harbour” Steve holds up his phone showing a picture of the dead body. All he gets in response is genuine surprise. 

“What did you call him? … That's Connor Moore, my niece's good-for-nothing boyfriend. He's dead?” 

“Very dead. He was shot and thrown into the ocean … Why were you looking for him? Come on, just tell us the story, we'll find out anyway” 

Dante considers it for a moment, then shakes his head. “First of all, I didn't kill him. I was never going to. I just wanted him to own up to what he'd done … You see, I never liked him and I wish they'd never met in the first place. Mara is like a daughter to me and there's not one person I love more in this world. She could do so much better than that loser but, seeing as I'm sitting here, the silly girl still loves him … And then he got her pregnant and he ran off as soon as he found out. So I went after him to … convince him to come back and support her, at least. But apparently, I'm too late” 

“That's a very good story. But it still doesn't tell us how you found him or where you were on Saturday at 9:45 p. m.” Steve can't help but believe him, but he is a mobster after all and probably lies for a living. 

“Well, Mara told me that he has a sister, so I pulled some strings to find out where she lives. I've been sitting on her house for two days … On Saturday, let's see … I should've been here already, but some idiot crash landed on the runway in L. A. and everything was delayed. I'm a bit confused with the time zones – but I definitely wasn't here on Saturday evening, I was either still in L. A. or somewhere over the Pacific” 

Steve texts Danny to check for the delayed flight. “We'll look into that … In the meantime, you could tell us what Oran – I mean, Connor – was involved in” 

“From now on, I will execute my right to remain silent” 

“Oh, come on. It was going so well … We could drop the weapons charge, just give us something”, Kate tries again. 

But Dante sets his jaw and says nothing. “Forget it, Beckett. He's way too afraid of the Gambinos himself”, Steve says and that earns him a twitch in Dante's face. “Let's try something else: Who's Lilith?” 

To their surprise, the man laughs. “Lilith, seriously? She's not real. It's just a story those wannabe-gangster kids on the streets tell each other, at night, with flash-lights under their faces. If that's your only lead, detectives, you're absolutely screwed” 

“Well, who killed him, then? Who killed all of these people?” Steve shows him pictures of the old murders but he doesn't get much of a reaction.

“I knew some of these guys. They got on the wrong side of the wrong people – that's all you're gonna get from me. I take the Fifth and the weapons charge, thanks” 

Just in that moment, the door opens and Danny pokes his head in. “You guys got a minute?” Steve and Beckett follow him outside. “So, his alibi is the most rock-solid thing ever. At the time Oran was shot, his plane had just left the ground. Also, we can connect him to some of the other murders but he's out of the game for the rest with an even better alibi: jail-time” 

“So, we have to let him go. He's not going to talk, we all know that” Kate leans against the wall with a sigh. “This is so frustrating” 

“It is. We can't even hold him for the rifle, unless we can find a good reason to play the terrorism-card … Let's set him loose but keep tabs on his phone and put him on the no-fly list. Maybe we can talk to his niece again and she will be of more help” They return to the interrogation-room, where Dante is waiting with a smug smile. 

“That was my alibi checking out, wasn't it? … Now, officers, if you have nothing else on me, I would appreciate it if you let me go, or else I'll flood this place with Italian lawyers in tailored suits” 


	8. Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Danny and Gabby's breakup is mentioned in this chapter. I know that only happens at the end of Season 3 in canon, but it is a standalone scene and I've "transplanted" it to sometime before 3.11 for this story.

The first thing that strikes Richard about Mara Giretto as they watch the video from her interrogation is how beautiful she is with her dark-brown curls, long legs and perfect face. Not even the awful “street-style” clothes can cover that up. The second thing is how she looks oddly familiar.

“I know what you're going to ask but I really don't know where Connor is. Maybe you should ask his sister … And I also don't know about the business he does”, Mara says on the video. Obviously, she's been asked these questions before, but she sounds honest. “He told me the other day that he'd fallen out with the wrong people and that he has to go underground for a while, that's all I know. I've no idea where he went”

“Well, we do, but unfortunately … he didn't make it underground. I'm very sorry”, Espo answers.

“Oh no, please, tell me that's not true” Mara is completely distressed and upset, there's no faking that. “I told him to leave Connor alone, but … Oh God, no! I never thought he'd actually … do it. Him and Connor – they're all I have – had …”

“Who? Who did it, Mara?”

“My uncle, Dante”, she sobs, “He's gone after Connor …”

That's where the video stops. “So, you haven't talked to her further?”, Beckett asks.

“No chance, we couldn't. She was so upset, we sent her home with an officer to watch her. Once we tell her that her uncle is off the hook, maybe she will calm down enough. It's late, we'll do it tomorrow”, Espo answers.

“Just one more thing”, Richard stops them before they can end the call, “Does Miss Giretto look familiar to you, too? I feel like I've seen her before”

“Of course you have. She was the poster girl for that beer-ad on the wall straight across from the precinct. You know the one” Ryan tries to imitate her sexy pose with his coffee-cup and almost falls off the chair, to everyone's amusement. “I'm afraid her modelling career is finished, though. Her connection to Connor, The Gangster, is all over the internet already”

“How the hell did that get out?” Beckett gives the boys in New York one of her icy glares.

Espo jumps to their defence. “It happened so fast, I don't think it was us. We'll stay on it and try to find out if there's a reporter or someone who knows more than we do”

“Right now, I feel like everyone knows more than we do”, Steve says after they've hung up, “By the way, has anyone talked to Faye? After all, we thought Dante was going to kill her”

“Yeah, Castle and I did, before we came back here”, Danny answers, “She recognised Dante as someone her brother had dealings with, but that's all … So, essentially, we still have nothing”

“OK, we need to change that” Steve looks around a bit helplessly, then something occurs to him. “Our friend Dante didn't fly here with that rifle in his cabin-luggage. He got it from someone on this island and we need to find out from whom. Maybe Oran or even our killer had the same contact and maybe that contact will be more cooperative. There's also still the old murders to look into … Besides that, is anyone else hungry? I could use some late lunch”

That suggestion is widely appreciated. “I'll go get something”, Kate says, “But I could use local support”

“That will be me. I need some fresh air”, Chin answers and they leave together.

“Okay, someone has to say it” Danny sighs and leans against the computer-table, scanning everything they have so far on the screens. “I think we have a snowball's chance in hell of solving this case”

“Not if hell freezes over”, Richard replies so quickly it surprises even himself, “Normally, I wouldn't say this, but we could stumble upon a _coincidence_ in the right moment that solves it. We shouldn't give up”

“I wasn't talking about giving up” Danny seems genuinely offended but it's hard for Richard to tell if he really is or if it's just his usual over-the-top manner. “I'm just saying, we've followed so many dead-end leads, the killer is probably in the wind by now. It would be good if we finally found someone who tells us the truth and all of it but that would be nothing short of a miracle considering who we're dealing with”

Steve agrees. “Maybe we should just take a step back for a few hours and, I don't know, do some paperwork”

“Paperwork? Seriously, boss?” Kono pulls a face. “That's your idea of a step back? I'd rather follow up on the illegal-arms-dealer and if that leads to nothing, go surfing for a while”

“Or you could do that, yeah. I'll wrap up some other cases while we're stuck”

“You know, babe …”, Danny starts with an innocent smile he has doubtlessly picked up from his little daughter, “Seeing as you're so motivated, you could do some of my paperwork, too. After all, it is your fault I have to write all those incident reports because I'm getting shot all the time”

“Shot _at_ , Danny. There's a difference, at least a grammatical one. Am I right, Mr. Writer?”

“Oh, I'm not getting involved in your argument”

“We're not arguing” Danny sounds appalled.

“No, Daniel. We're arguing all the time, you just don't notice anymore”, Steve says matter-of-factly.

“Are we seriously arguing about if we're arguing? That escalated quickly”

“No wonder people keep thinking we're married … Maybe we _should_ just get married and be done with it” They all wait for the comeback, but Danny just goes silent, then, to his relief, the alarm on his phone rings.

“Listen, guys, I gotta go pick up Grace. See you in an hour or two” He turns on his heel.

“Hey, your car-keys. And give Gracie a kiss from me” Steve throws the keys to him and Danny leaves with a forced smile.

“You should stop making jokes about stuff like that”, Kono says with surprising strictness.

“What's that supposed to mean? It's Danny we're talking about” He knows how to take these silly jokes.

“Nothing. I'm just saying” She picks up her laptop and goes to her office.

“Kono? Come on … Something is going on and I'm not getting it” Steve turns to Richard for help, but he'll be struck by lightning before he blurts out what is so obvious for everyone except his brother.

“Maybe you should talk to Danny about it”, Richard suggests instead. And, after all, even though he thinks it's obvious, he might still be wrong and cause damage he can't repair. Talk about selective perception and everything.

“I might … And I think it just dawned on me: He broke up with his girlfriend Gabby not so long ago and he was pretty serious about her, so it's probably just too soon for jokes like that. Also, there's the whole custody mess with his ex-wife”

“Maybe. You should still talk to him” Richard can't help but keep trying. These two need to come clean about their feelings or lack of feelings for each other. “And maybe you should cut back the flirting with him a bit until you have” It has slipped out before Richard can stop it.

“Flirting? I'm not flirting with Danny … But, since we're kinda talking about it, I am curious. Your two guys in New York – what's their deal?”

Oh well, the question had to come from someone. “You mean, are they …? No, they're not. Ryan is happily married and Esposito is a ladies' man if ever there was one. They love each other, but in the platonic bromance kind of way … And if anything ever happened between them in the past, I didn't get the memo. The whole precinct probably wonders about that but they're all way too scared of Espo to even make jokes”

Steve laughs. “He's former military, isn't he? There's something about him”

“Army Special Forces. He can be pretty terrifying when he has to be, but inside, he has a warm, loyal heart … Which confirms the trope that every team needs a tough guy with a great big heart”

“That sounds like a description of everyone in my team, really”

 

*#*

 

The closest Steve actually comes to doing paperwork is picking up a pen and clicking it absent-mindedly while he thinks about how Danny _has_ been acting strangely indeed. It feels like he is always holding something back, a secret he can't even tell Steve about. Which hurts, he has to admit. Steve just hopes that it won't turn into anything dangerous.

He is interrupted by Rick who appears in the doorway. “So?”

“So … what?” Steve wonders what he missed this time.

“Is it working? It's a neat little trick, doing some dull paperwork so your subconscious will carry on thinking about the case”

“Not really. And I'm not getting anywhere with the paperwork, either”

“Well, I suppose you can forget that for now” Rick looks over his shoulder. “Kate and Chin just came back with our lunch. And Danny is back, too”

“By the way”, Kono says when they are all sitting there a bit later, eating take-out shrimp from Kamekona's, “The illegal-arms-dealer is sort of a dead-end, for now. I pulled the GPS-data from Dante's rental car and it shows him parked near Lulumahu Falls for an hour a while after he arrived on the island. Now, I think we can rule out that he took a quick hike and presume that's when and where he got the gun. Records also show Oran's cell-phone active for two minutes not too far away from the same spot, earlier on the day he died. But that still doesn't help us”

“Not much. But I could run it past my contacts, see if they know anyone who has a habit of selling guns in that area”, Chin suggests, “It's still a long shot, but it's all we have”

There is silence for a moment, then Kono taps her fork on the take-out container and looks at Steve expectantly. “You know, boss, this is usually the point where you call Catherine and ask her if there might have been a satellite over Lulumahu Falls that happened to take some pictures of our arms-dealer”

“I could do that … Alright, now is probably the moment to let you guys know that Catherine and I broke up yesterday. Don't worry, we're still friends, but it's a bit too soon to call her with a thing like that unless we're really desperate. Which we might be by tomorrow …”

“Oh no, I'm so sorry”, Kono says, genuinely surprised, “You two always seemed to fit so well together”

“Yeah, sometimes things change” Steve really is as cool about it as he makes it sound, right now.

“And ... is there someone else, maybe …?”

Subtle, Kono, really subtle. Steve doesn't miss that she looks at Danny for a second and he notices Rick looking in the same direction and suddenly, everything they have been saying makes sense. But they're way off. “Can we just not talk about it, for now?” He feels uncomfortable discussing his relationship status in front of everyone, especially in front of Chin, who has just spent his first Christmas after the death of his wife.

“Alright. But you're not off the hook, remember that”

Oh, great. The woman is as immune to the words “let it go” as Steve himself is …

 

*#*

 

Apparently, Rick can't let it go, either. He spends the rest of the day hovering next to Steve, scrutinizing him whenever he talks to Danny and exchanging meaningful looks with Kono. Although he really, really doesn't feel like talking about it, Steve decides to confront him and be done with it.

“You actually think I'm in love with Danny, don't you?”, Steve asks as they are sitting on the lanai of his house after work, “Even though you've met my girlfriend – granted, now she's my ex-girlfriend – and been around us all the time. You must see that's not what it's like” This point has to finally be made.

“Then, what is it like? I always thought Ryan and Espo were the most epic bromance ever but you two outdo them by far. How did it get to this? How are you guys so … _intense_ without being connected on a romantic level?”

“I don't know, man. Danny … Danny just hit me where it hurt at the time. I wasn't even going to take this job, I definitely didn't need a partner and if I had needed one, Chin would've been the more obvious choice because he knew my Dad quite well and he knows everyone on this island. But then Danny appeared just like that, yelling and pointing his gun at me. Did you know he punched me in the face after less than half a day together? … I was – it took me a while to realize it – I was way off the handle, bordering on completely nuts, and I needed someone fierce and forward like him in my life to straighten me out. It was rational at the time and before I'd noticed it, I had let him into my heart”

“Beautiful” Rick chuckles and shakes his head.

“Huh, what?”

“That silly, happy smile on your face when you talk about him”

“You're seeing things”, Steve grumbles and wipes his hand across his lips to check for a silly smile, just in case. He literally walked headlong into this trap.

“Yes, things you're _not_ seeing … I know, I'm crossing the line and we're not really there yet, but that's how I am, so bear with me … Just think about it, Steve: Outside of your immediate family, who do you care about the most? Who would you die for – or without? Who is always on your mind, whether you realize it or not? Who makes you jealous when you see them with someone else? … I could go on for ages. If the answer to all of these questions is Danny, then congratulations”

He is right, actually. Steve can't imagine his life, let alone his future, without Danny by his side, he completes Steve like no-one and nothing ever has. Damn, a few weeks ago Steve had risked being blown up by a bomb without thinking twice. At the time, he'd told himself it was for Danny's sake, not to leave him alone in that moment, but when it was over he realised that his life wouldn't make sense with Danny gone and the only option was to stay until the end. (Apart from that, he'd been convinced – up to a certain point – that everything would eventually be fine) He would do it again, too. Danny with his opinions, his temper and his heart of gold is literally the most precious human who ever fell into Steve's hands – yes, he knows how terribly sappy that sounds – and Steve wants to destroy everyone who dares hurt him. Wants to wrap Danny up within his soul and give him everything. But does that mean …? Is this what it feels like? What it's supposed to feel like? … Yes. Yes, it is. “Oh, shit”

“No, it's great. It's finally resolved; I found it to be a huge relief when I'd finally admitted to myself just how much I love Kate … And now that you see clearly, you can probably pinpoint the exact moment it started”

Actually, Steve can, without thinking. It had happened right down there on the beach, after their first day working together, when they had sat down with a beer each and Danny had talked about Gracie and his reasons for doing the job. It had been his first peek at the man behind the anger and the attitude, and it had ripped Steve's defences wide open, made him want to hug Danny with his whole heart. That feeling had never gone away again. Oh, shit. Steve feels like he is seeing a car-crash and can't stop it. Like he is reliving every single moment he has shared with Danny since then without the filter of “just friends”. And he realises that, in some strange, subtle way, a part of him has always known how much exactly Danny means to him.

“It can't be … Now, what am I going to do?” Nothing will ever be the same again.

“Well, talk to him. Tell him how you feel” Rick looks completely pleased with himself.

“What, are you crazy? I could never look him in the eyes again if I did” Although Danny keeps encouraging him to talk about his feelings, this would probably go too far even for him. (It wouldn't be the fact that a man is attracted to him – Danny is bi, he told Steve once when he was drunk – it would be having to work together every day and pretending nothing had happened)

“Or you could end up happier than you ever thought you could be”

“And again, you're seeing things. You don't seriously believe he feels the same? What gave you that idea?” This would've never occurred to Steve in a million years.

“I'm a writer, I observe people. And Danny is acting pretty much the same way you do when you're together. Actually, it's even more obvious because you're way better at suppressing your feelings”

“Why, thank you”, Steve grumbles but can't help agreeing.

“Also, there's the way he worries about you. He's been trying to be subtle about it but ever since I came into your life, he's asked me every day how you're coping with that … Look, all I'm saying is, talk to him. Even if he doesn't feel the same, I'm sure he loves you enough to be okay with it”

“It's just … Everyone I had has always been taken away from me” His mother, his father and Freddy; Mary and Catherine – and those are just the ones he can think of from the top of his head. More would start flooding in if he didn't shut the feeling off. “Hell, I'm even afraid that any minute someone could walk through that door and tell us that there's been a mistake and we're not brothers after all … And if I lost Danny … This is so stupid. I don't even know why I'm telling you this” It really is ridiculous in every respect. Most of those losses had happened in the line of duty somehow, except for Mary – and she's back with him now. Even his Mom is sort of back and Catherine, even with her deployments overseas, was never and will never be truly gone, although they have split up as a couple.

“It's not stupid. Not at all. I get it – you're afraid of losing him … By the way, just for the record: Even if there had been a mistake and we weren't brothers, we'd still be friends … And, as a friend as well as a brother: talk to Danny. You'll forever regret it if you don't. I didn't talk to Kate about it, for a long long time, until it was almost too late”

“What happened? You actually seem like the kind of couple who got together without too much drama”

“Oh, boy, are you wrong … It could have been like that, you know. When I first met Kate, I instantly had a crush on her. And who wouldn't? She's a gorgeous tough lady who fights crime … I was an insufferable, self-assured playboy at the time, of course I hit on her and it went horribly wrong … Which is a good thing, because it gave my feelings time to grow serious before anything happened. But when I knew they were serious, I didn't say anything, at first. I guess I also was afraid of being vulnerable or of ruining our friendship. I almost said it a few times but put it off and put it off until … she was shot. And that's when I told her I loved her, while she was … dying”

Steve can see the pain on his face and see him shiver despite the Hawaiian summer heat and he wishes he could do or say anything other than: “That must have been horrible”

“It was. Most horrible moment of my life. And then there was the waiting, not knowing if she was going to make it”

Steve is forcibly reminded of a stint in a hospital corridor after Danny had been poisoned with sarin, when the only thing that filled his mind was that question: Is he going to make it? It had quickly turned into pleading to the universe for his survival, then to unspeakable relief when it was clear he was going to be OK. “I can relate … And that led to your happy ending?”

“Eventually, yes. But it still took us about a year from that point to overcome our boundaries and, of course, doing what we do, it hasn't all been easy and calm since then”

He shivers again and Steve wonders what he is thinking about, wonders if he really wants to know what they're up against. Rick and Kate will be back in New York once this case is over, out of reach … But it's not the question to ask in this moment. “And you're happy now?”

“Perfectly. I won't pretend I don't know there might be more drama ahead, but right now, everything is fine. And as long as we stick together, everything will be fine”

Steve knows what he means by “that silly, happy smile” now, that's for sure, and he can't help smiling with him and feeling better when he sees it. “Alright, that's reassuring. I'll talk to Danny when we have a moment” It might be an empty promise, but he'll try and keep it nonetheless. “Enough about romance for one evening, don't you think? Want a beer?”

 

*#*

 

Richard learns more about the family he never had by the minute. There is not just John, whom he sadly can't get to know anymore, there is his sister Mary Ann and his aunt Deb and even Steve's mother Doris and he can't wait to meet them all. That way, he'll be able to let go of that feeling of loss he has about the past and make his own memories with them instead of just sharing Steve's. Although they are interesting. Right now, Steve is telling the story of how eight-year-old Mary had gotten it into her head to become a real football-player like her brother and stolen all of his kit to practice on her own.

“She was so determined to do it right. The next time I set up a match with my friends, I let her play with us and she almost broke my ribs”

Richard laughs at the image of the wispy little girl he's seen in the photos tackling a future Navy-SEAL out of the way. It's so absurd and so … McGarrett, in some inexplicable way. “She sounds like … well, the female you. Like a fierce young lady who won't take any crap from anyone”

“She is. When she … she was abducted by the Yakuza – long story – she kicked out one of the guys' teeth when he tried to grab her. If I hadn't been so scared, I would've cheered”

Richard can't wait to meet her and he's just about to say so when Steve's attention is drawn to the sound of a car apparently stopping in front of the house. They hear laughter and a door slamming.

“Hold that thought”, Steve says and gets up to open the door, which he doesn't have to do because the visitor has a key.

Richard tries to keep his curious nature in check for a second, but then he can't help but sneak a peek over the backrest of the chair. A slight blond woman has arrived, dropped her suitcase and is hugging Steve.

“Why didn't you tell me when you were coming? I could've picked you up” They are walking towards him now and Richard can hear them speak.

“Nah, it's alright”, she answers, “I asked my old friend Kamekona” The way Steve literally facepalms tells him there's a history there, but Richard will ask about it later, because this is really happening. This is her. His baby sister Mary, who cheerfully yells “Surprise!” when she spots him.

“Um, Aloha”, is all Richard can manage before she catches him in a surprisingly strong hug.

“I still can't really believe this”, she says after she has let go and gives Richard a scrutinizing look. “We have a big brother and no-one knew. How weird can this family get?”

“It is quite a special family, I've noticed that. But I'm happy to be a part of it and very happy to meet you”

“You know what's funny? We've actually met before”

“We have?” Hopefully not under embarrassing circumstances.

“Yeah. My signed copy of “Heat Wave” proves it. I remember that you flirted with me. And with my friend. And with every other girl there”

“I'm sure I did … I would ask you not to tell my girlfriend, but she knows what I'm like”

“She's here with you, right?

“Yes, she's gone surfing with Kono. Actually, they should be back soon”

“Well, why don't we grab 'em both when they come back and get all the other guys to come, too, and make an evening of it?”

“Slow down, sis. You've only just arrived” Steve puts a hand on her shoulder and makes her sit down.

“Well, I've missed them”

“Actually, I was planning on doing something like that once the case is wrapped up. Which, hopefully, will be in the next few days”

“That's a great idea”, Richard agrees, “We can take it easy until then and get to know each other”

“We should do that. Now, I'm sure Steve has told you everything about me, but I don't know anything about you except, well, the obvious” There is the same searching look in her eyes Steve sometimes uses, like they could look right into your soul. 

“He hasn't told me that much. But I'm happy to start the round of 'Show me yours, I'll show you mine' if that's what you're saying”

Richard doesn't even pay attention to what he's saying but studies her. He can see she's had dark times, although she seems like she's left them behind. He reckons some sort of substance abuse and a whole lot of heartbreak were involved. And it's no wonder, considering what her mother did and the subsequent break-up of the whole family. While Steve went for the Navy – balance and stability – Mary apparently became a troubled teenager and never really grew out of it. She seems like one of those flighty persons who stumble from one mishap to the next, quit one lousy underpaid job and find another and date a never-ending line of losers. And he can't begin to imagine what happened in her (or Steve's) head when the long-buried mother came back. And now he's here, stirring up her emotions again. They've known each other for five minutes and already Richard feels the urgent need to protect Mary.

“You sound like just the right kind of crazy for this family”, she says when he thinks he's talked long enough and stops, “I guess it's my turn now. Has Steve told you about how Dad used to give us those fictional mysteries to solve, complete with clues all over the city?”


	9. Conclusions

It has been a short night and Richard's head is still spinning when they arrive at the office the next morning. It turns out for all the things Steve doesn't say, Mary says two. And now he'll have to process even more talking. Imagine that, Richard Castle on information overload.

“So, we've interviewed our vic's girlfriend again. And it turns out she's either a very good liar or very good at turning a blind eye on what Oran was up to. What she did give us was a lead on the woman he was fighting with before he disappeared”, Espo explains.

“And? Who is she?” Kate usually hates it when the boys draw out their conclusions like that but she's a bit more relaxed today. The surfing and the sun is doing her good.

“Mara Giretto identified her as 'Riley or Rhonda or something' and wasn't even sure if that's her first or her last name. But we did a little research and it turns out she was talking about Regan Desmond. Oran's cousin. The neighbours confirmed it when we showed them photos”

Beckett is her usual alert self within a second. “Did you say Regan Desmond?”

“Wait, who's that?”, Steve cuts in. He obviously just hates it so much when he's not in on something.

“The gang-unit's been shadowing her for years”, Kate explains, “She is _supposed to be_ the head of that mysterious – and, by the way, nameless – gang our vic was _supposed to be_ a part of. But they haven't been able to nail her, she's … just too good”

“I didn't even know there were female mob-bosses. But I guess everything's possible in New York”, Kono says while they look at surveillance photos of the lady in question, a pale woman in her early thirties who looks like she could be the singer of a punk band, her hair dyed fire-engine-red, her jeans ripped and her arms tattooed.

“That's part of the reason why she's still on the streets. Loads of people don't believe that she actually _is_ the boss, including cops. And every self-respecting gangster who's ever had a run-in with Regan's crew is too ashamed to admit he's been beaten by a girl. That's how she became so powerful. Her crew is very small, very disciplined and very good at looking completely innocent. Word is, she puts the fear of God into them before they're allowed to do even the smallest of jobs. But no-one knows how she does that”, Kate explains.

“Lilith”, Danny says suddenly and it's exactly what Richard has just been thinking, “If Lilith is real, which is still up for debate, Regan Desmond might know her. Or even be her. That would scare them enough, don't you think? It scared Oran enough to run away”

“Or maybe not”, Steve thinks aloud, “When they had the fight, he probably told her to her face that he was leaving. He wouldn't have done that if he was so afraid of her … On the other hand, maybe he just thought he could get away with it because they were cousins”

“Or he didn't realize how dangerous she really is and underestimated her, like so many people”, Richard suggests.

“Regan didn't kill him”, Ryan's voice comes from the background and he appears in the picture a second later, “I just talked to our friends from the gang-unit and they saw her in her car-repair shop an hour before the murder. Alibi by cop, she's out”

“That doesn't mean she didn't order the hit” They're all thinking it, Steve says it.

Espo continues: “We've already tried her phone-records but didn't find anything suspicious. Obviously, she uses burner phones. Techs are still working on her e-mails”

“Okay, question her anyway. Maybe she'll slip up” Kate seems a fraction more hopeful than before.

“Afraid that's not gonna happen, boss” Ryan looks at his partner who shares his discomfort, “We can't touch her without hard evidence, Captain's orders. It would put half a dozen ongoing operations at risk”

No-one has to say it but they all feel it: this is so frustrating. Now that they finally have a lead, they can't go on because of the greater good.

“And what do we do now? Just wait until one of those operations ends in her arrest and hope she talks?” Beckett looks like she wishes she were in New York so she could have it out with the gang-unit herself.

“Or you could just tell your Captain that it would be more suspicious if you didn't question her. I mean, her cousin was murdered. If you don't show up, she'll know something's wrong” Danny does have a point.

“Okay, you guys talk to Captain Gates again. If she lets you question Regan, keep it low-key. Just see how she reacts”, Beckett says, “And send us everything we have on her, especially her known associates”

“Will do, boss” Espo ends the video-call and there is silence in the office for a moment.

“Okay, here is a list of her associates”, Kono says, “I'll run them through TSA, see if any of them are on the island. Though I doubt they'd be using their real names”

While they wait for any hits, Richard has a chance to observe Steve who is standing next to Danny. Anyone who doesn't know about the events of the evening before probably doesn't notice but Richard can see the new way Steve looks at his partner, the anxiety behind his cool exterior. He just hopes that Steve can focus on the case enough when it comes to it – when one of them is staring down the barrel of the killer's gun.

“Guys, I've got something”; Kono's voice interrupts his thoughts, “A young woman named Darcy McCarrick has been travelling back and forth between O'ahu and New York for the past 8 months. Two of her stays in New York coincide with our older murders”

“That's her, it has to be. If Lilith really exists, it's this girl”, Steve answers.

An alert pops up on the screen. “She's just checked in for a flight back to New York. We need to go to the airport”

“Do we know what she looks like?”

“There's only one photo of her on file” Kono pulls up a grainy surveillance shot of a small blond woman, aviator sunglasses obscuring half her face. “I can pull airport security footage, so we'll get a better look”

“There's no need”, Steve stops her, “We all know who this is. Let's go”

The ride to the airport is short and Richard finds himself in their security control room with Kono before he really knows what's happening. They each observe half of the screens and Richard finally spots their suspect sitting in a café, looking to all the world like an innocent fairy girl.

 

*#*

 

“Faye Kearney”, Steve says loudly, pointing his gun at her, “Get up slowly, put your hands where I can see 'em” He keeps it steady – the gun, his voice and his face – he knows that he does, but inside he can't help seeing Mary for a second or two as Faye gets up, her hands raised. She looks different, tidier, more like a business woman than a habitually broke girl who lives in a run-down house. Her handbag alone is probably worth more than all the clothes Steve owns.

“Officer … Commander McGarrett. What is going on?”, she says in that shy, insecure voice but Steve isn't buying it anymore.

“You are under arrest, is what's going on” Danny cuffs her and reads her her rights but Steve doesn't process any of that.

All he can think about is how she murdered her own brother in cold blood, after all they went through together and he wonders what kind of family does that to each other. He listens to all the new info Kono and Chin have dug up in record time but only comes out of his trance in the interrogation room, Beckett standing next to him.

“Just tell us why. We know the rest”, is the first thing Steve actually says since leaving the airport.

“I'm not saying anything before my lawyer gets here”

“No lawyer in the world can help you now. The only thing you can do is cooperate and maybe we can do something for you in return … We found the gun, Faye. I must say it's pretty clever to ship it in a parcel to a gun-collector instead of trying to hide it in your luggage somewhere. But you probably shouldn't have sent it to the same guy three times and have him send it back to you from his home address again. That's just lazy”, Steve says.

Faye doesn't react, just sits there stoically. “I've no idea what you're talking about”

“Don't you see? It's over. We've arrested Regan, we know she ordered the hit and we have all the proof to back it up. You talk before she does and it's you who gets the deal”, Beckett says and Steve promises himself he'll never play poker with her, “For starters, all we want to know is why you murdered your own brother. The other five kills were for the money, we get that, but why Oran?”

“You don't get it. Nothing at all” Cold, hard steel flashes in her eyes for a second, then she is back to expressionless.

“So, explain it to us”, Steve tries again. They might have the gun and enough to make it look plausible that she's the killer, but without her confession it's still circumstantial, no matter how sure they are. “No? Okay, let's start with something else. Where did you get the gun? Is it Regan's? … We have 23 murders committed with this weapon, the earliest ones before you were born. Did you know that?”

She looks up with a hint of a smile and now there's nothing left that reminds Steve of Mary. “The only thing I did wrong was buy this weapon from a guy on the street. It was for my protection but then I felt bad about it and tried to get rid of it again” She isn't even trying to sell her statement, just reciting it as if she had prepared it a long time ago and learned it by heart.

There is a buzz on the door and Kono beckons them over. “Your guys in New York have talked to Regan Desmond. She didn't give them anything. But they may have startled her enough to make her slip up … So, how's it going in there?”

“I think it's about to get better. Just follow my lead” Beckett grins at Steve and he knows now is not the time to play boss. She steps up to Faye, pretending to rearrange the papers in her file. “Regan's talking, you know. She's talking about everything: the gang, the drug-trafficking and money-laundering. Lilith … That's right. Everything. Trading it for a minimum sentence and a nice cosy spot in witness protection. And you know what she says with every sentence? That it was you, all of it. Says you're the head of this whole thing and the killer. Personally, I don't believe it and neither does any cop in New York. I mean, you're just a girl. But Regan has the evidence to back it up, so I suppose you're going to spend the rest of your life in federal prison, being as uncomfortable as possible”

“The fucking bitch”, Faye growls and finally shows something like an emotion, “It's not me, it's her. Regan runs this thing and she runs the auto-shop and launders the money. Me … I'm the one that makes sure she doesn't get her ass kicked. Lilith is the only reason Regan got as far in the world as she did. I picked up my father's gun when her power was falling apart and put some respect back into her enemies”

“So, your father was Lilith. And he taught you everything?” Steve shivers when he thinks about it. She was just a little girl when her father died. And when she started killing, she was only sixteen.

“I never understood why he picked that name, but I like it. When I was eight, he took me along for the first time. Then he died and I was left to myself. It took a while until I was ready … He worked contracts for different people but I was always loyal to Regan, because she's family, and this is how she repays me. I would never have said anything if she hadn't but I'm not going down for this alone”

“But if you were … doing so well in New York, why did you move out here?”

“The cops were closing in on Oran, the idiot. So Faye moved here, to stay out of it, and Darcy, who has no connection to Oran, stayed there. Our father was a brilliant man, he created these backup identities. Only I know how to use mine, my brother didn't”

“Why did you kill him, Faye?”

“Because he was going to rat us all out. Oran, the guy who recently graduated to being the one to point the gun at the driver in a truck hijacking, thought he had a right to take down the whole operation because his silly girlfriend got pregnant. That must have melted his brain because he threatened Regan right before he ran away. She thought she could talk him round, the sentimental bitch. When she couldn't, she told me to take care of him as soon as he arrived. It was business, nothing else”

“And he had no idea you and your father were Lilith?” Steve has to make a real effort to block the word _Shelburne_ from his brain for the time being, he has to finish this interrogation properly.

“Deaf, dumb and blind. Him and Mum. They thought Dad was a simple street gangster, I was the only one he trusted with the truth. They couldn't have handled it anyway”

“What exactly did Oran have on you? What was on the flash-drive?”

“Regan's bookkeeping, coded messages, that sort of stuff. I dumped that thing into the ocean first chance I got … Funny, isn't it? He probably looked through all that info and never even noticed I was involved”

“Well, what do you expect? He was your big brother, it completely passed his imagination that you could be anything but his sweet kid sister … I really hope you have a conscience somewhere, because that should haunt you until the end of your days” Steve means it. How can she be so cold? How can anyone?

“Just one more thing”, Beckett says when Steve is starting to leave, “There was a witness, you remember? Why did you drug him, put his watch on your brother, break into the hotel-room … Why go through all that trouble?”

“It was a diversion, of course. I improvised, hoped that he might become your suspect. Usually … well, I would've killed him. But, come on, it was Richard Castle. Imagine the attention that would have put on the case. The guy's lucky he's so famous”

 

*#*

 

“So, his sister did it” They watch Mara Giretto's incredulous face on the live video feed from New York. “I only met her twice, I always thought there was something off about her, but it's still hard to believe … And why? What did he do?”

“He threatened to tell the cops about her and their cousin's gang”, Espo explains.

“He was going to find a safe place for his family, then expose these illegal operations. He was doing it for you”, Kate continues.

“Thank you, all of you”, Mara says and protectively puts her hands on the little hump that's beginning to show under her shirt, “It means a lot to know that he was a good guy after all”

“He was. He had been born into the circumstances, but in the end he made a choice”, Steve assures her.

“And our baby can grow up proud of daddy, even if he's not there anymore. Not everyone can do that around here”

“Good luck, Mara”, Kate says and it's obvious she means it. They watch as Espo escorts her out and Ryan stares after them as if in a daze. Gossip has it that he and Jenny are seriously thinking about having a baby in the near future and Richard knows that can make one feel a little shaky in situations like this. “Hey, Ryan”, Kate tries, “Hawaii calling Kevin Ryan”

“Huh, what?”

“Is there anything else you might want to share with us?”

“Oh, yeah. We found a bunch of encrypted files on Oran's computer, tech did some magic on them and it turns out they're the evidence he had on Regan Desmond. The gang-unit's waiting for the paperwork to arrest her for good this time”

“With Faye's testimony, that should put her away for a good long time. Thanks, Ryan. You go home now, it's getting late over there”

“Actually, there's something else” He looks over his shoulder for a second to check the coast is clear and his voice has dropped to a whisper. “I don't know how he did it, but Javi's convinced Captain Gates to send us to Hawaii for a few days on official duty”

“Shut the front door, really?” Richard wonders what magic powers exactly Espo possesses.

“Ah, I see he's told you the news” Espo comes into view, grinning like a little boy getting a belated Christmas present.

“How did you-?” Richard starts but breaks off when he sees an ominous shape behind the boys.

“Detectives”, Captain Gates' voice makes them turn around and automatically stand a little straighter, “Is that Beckett on the phone … Detective Beckett, I'm sending these two your way to pick up our victim's body and the killer. They will be arriving tomorrow evening. By way of some misfortune, all the flights back were booked out, so they will be staying until Monday” The way she raises her eyebrows tells Richard and Kate everything about the _misfortune_ and to keep their poker faces straight. “Commander McGarrett, I trust you'll put the young woman in a holding cell until they can leave with her … Beckett, I expect you back at your desk by Wednesday, as planned”

“Yes, sir. I'll make sure the case gets wrapped up properly”

“Commander”, Gates continues, “Thank you and your team. You helped close a lot of cold cases this side of the States”

“My pleasure, ma- … sir. And thank you for letting me borrow your detectives”

Gates nods at him with the hint of a smile. “Beckett, Castle, enjoy the rest of your holiday … And you boys, don't you have some work to finish and some bags to pack?” She turns and goes to her office and Richard thinks he can see her grin in the reflection in the glass. He also thinks, not for the first time, that Gates knows exactly what's going on between him and Kate and holds on to plausible deniability for as long as she can.

“You heard her”, Beckett says, “See you tomorrow”, and disconnects the call.

Steve looks at them in puzzled amusement. “Did your boss just send the two of them on a free weekend holiday to Hawaii? … Wow, she doesn't seem too bad”

“She has her moments. And you wouldn't want to be on her wrong side”

They all go about their duties and Richard is left alone with his thoughts. They stray back to Mara Giretto and Oran Kearney's baby. The girl will probably have a tough time raising the kid on her own, but she'll be alright. She has the attitude. And Richard knows what he's talking about, he grew up with a single mother with an attitude. No matter what he says to her sometimes when they disagree, he really, truly admires his mother for the great job she's done. After all, she prepared him right so he could be a parent later on. But the truth of what Mara said also strikes him: It means a lot who Daddy was, even if he's gone. And he realises, no matter how often he's told himself or anyone else that he doesn't really care, it _is_ important to him to know his father was a good man. It doesn't change Richard as a person, doesn't change how he sees the world as a whole, but it adds to his understanding of himself, his “backstory”. It was kind of cool to leave a blank space and a whole lot of possibilities where his father should have been but he doesn't miss it one bit while he watches Steve laugh and joke with his team and thinks about Mary, probably out surfing and having fun. His father has lost the potential to be a rocket scientist, a spy, a Hollywood director or anyone other than John McGarrett, a Hawaiian cop, and Richard has won so much.

 


	10. 'Ohana

Steve hasn't been so nervous for a long, long time and he hates it. Hates feeling as vulnerable as he had at fifteen, standing in front of a crowd with a guitar. It shakes him to the core and he has to walk past Danny's office instead of in and lean against the wall at the end of the hallway to take a deep breath. What the hell is he doing? Rick has truly gotten into his head about telling Danny, but can he really do this? Can he risk it? What … what if Danny rejects him, never wants to see him again … Steve has taken a lot of silly risks in his time, he knows that, and he never shies away from doing so again but this … this is different. He is risking his life, not physically, but literally his whole life.

“Hey, buddy. Are you planning our demise in a stupidly reckless way?” He hears the voice but it doesn't reach him. “Steve? Are you alright?”

Through the fog, he sees Danny's eyes and a hand on his arm makes him tumble right back into reality. A reality in which Danny's intense presence sets all his nerves on fire and the desire to hold him and kiss him and never let go brings up a thunderstorm in his heart. “Danno?”

“You're surprised. Why are you surprised? You've walked past my office three times already, you must've seen me”

“Yeah, sorry” Steve pulls away and turns to get a safe distance between them, so he can _think_. What can he say to make this situation feel natural again? “Where is everyone?”

“Chin's gone home and Kono and Mary have taken the others on the secret insiders' tour of the island, remember? An hour ago” He hears Danny step up to him and a moment later his fingers have found the spot on Steve's back that is always tense. “What's wrong, huh? Come on, babe”

The softness in his voice is reassuring and maddening at the same time and his fingers are a shock to Steve's system. They have always touched like this but it feels different now and Steve absolutely doesn't want it to stop. In a surge of his famous willpower, he overcomes his fear. This is Danny, for heaven's sake, he would never leave Steve because of this. He turns around again to look at his partner against the backdrop of golden afternoon light and seriously, this isn't fair. “We … we need to talk. There's something I have to tell you”

“OK, are you _trying_ to worry me? Please just tell me what's wrong”

“Nothing”, Steve whispers and it's true. Nothing about this is wrong, the words fail him anyway. But it has to be said somehow, now that he's started it. Steve's hands find Danny's shoulders and before the other man can say anything to break the spell, Steve leans forward and their lips meet for the first time. Danny goes completely still for a few seconds, but just as Steve wants to pull back and regret all his life-choices, he grabs his shirt and kisses back with a groan and a hint of desperation. It feels like parachuting through fireworks, like the answer to everything and like everything is going to be fine. Until Danny lets go and steps back with that panicked look that can't mean anything good.

“What are we doing?”

“I don't know, I … just realized pretty recently that … I started falling in love with you the day we met. And a very wise man convinced me, I would regret it if I didn't tell you … It's not … I don't expect anything from you, just wanted you to know”

“Steve”, Danny whispers, completely baffled, reaches out, then stops, “I wish I could … I'm sorry”

A bucket of ice drops into Steve's heart as he watches Danny leave hurriedly. At least he didn't get a punch in the face, he tries to console himself, although it sure as hell feels like it. This was great, it was all fine, and now he's ruined it. Definitely his friendship with Danny and probably Five-0. There is no going back now, he's done it. Unless … No, it's not a dream, he assures himself by bumping his head against the wall in exasperation.

“McGarrett, you're an idiot”, he says to the empty office. Feelings have never brought him luck, he should've known better than to listen to his brother, a man he still barely knows.

Somehow, Steve makes it home. He keeps pacing through his house, feeling like he can't breathe, like he will let go and start crying and not stop again. And the pain in his chest is not the worst about it – it's not knowing what will happen next. What if Danny leaves? Or worse, what if he gets so distracted by what Steve has done, something will happen to him?

Hours have passed, he can tell from the shadows on the walls, when the door opens behind him and Steve is ready to put on the mask of “nothing has happened” he has handy for when the others come back. But it's not them. “Danny?”

“Hey” Danny looks like Steve is feeling: antsy, like he doesn't quite know where to put all his limbs, lost somehow. “I wanted to talk about … before”

“I shouldn't have-”, Steve starts but Danny raises his hand to stop him.

“Probably not. But words were never your thing” He sounds breathless, unsure of his own voice. “Okay, this is hard … Steve, you mean a lot to me. You can't begin to imagine how much. I could always deny it in front of myself, especially while I could make myself believe I was seriously in love with Rachel again, until that one day, you know which. When you got arrested for murdering the governor … I couldn't leave you and I realised, even if that hadn't happened, I could never have left …”

Danny stops but Steve can somehow tell that's not all. It's not “yes” yet. But his heart is beginning to pick itself up from the floor because he can feel it will be. “Why did you never say anything?” It hurts Steve to think what Danny must have gone through all this time.

“Because. What difference would it have made if you didn't feel the same and even if you did … How on earth was it gonna work out? You are infuriating and a control freak and you take way too many unnecessary risks. How was I going to live with that, if we were …” He sounds more like himself now. But there's still that tension that tells Steve he hasn't said everything he needs to say. “Look, Steve, I … feel the same way you do. But I was afraid, I still am. If it doesn't work, what are we then? And when you kissed me earlier, I panicked and I've been thinking, trying to find out if I have the courage and I think I have … and if I don't, you do, and …”

“Are you trying to tell me that some risks are worth taking? And that you're … going to take this one with me?” Steve needs to hear it before he can allow himself the joy.

“Yeah, that about sums it up” Danny is calm now, he finally, finally looks Steve in the eyes and it's all they still needed to find each other again, like before.

This time, through all the fireworks, Steve has the presence of mind to feel how soft Danny's lips are, how his hands are strong and gentle at the same time. He loses track of what exactly is happening and just  _feels_ – he feels home and calm and completely safe for the first time in decades. Until a noise pulls him out of his trance. It sounds like a car stopping in front of the house and whoever it is has terrible timing. He's not ready to stop kissing Danny, yet.

“It's alright, they shouldn't be here for another hour”, Danny reads his thoughts, “I texted Kono earlier to find out if you were alone … We could go to my place if that makes you feel better”

“Let's go. I'm driving” He presses another kiss on Danny's lips and steals the car-keys from his pocket.

There are a lot of things they still need to talk about, but now is not the time for that. It is time to put the anxiety aside and live in the moment.

 

*#*

 

Steve had somehow managed to make it look like he'd been home late and up early and they had all gone to HQ in the morning like nothing ever happened. Two hours after the soft morning light had woken him up and Danny had put sweet kisses on his chest and whispered: “Let's keep this to ourselves for a bit, babe”

Sitting in his office now, Steve wonders however they will keep this to themselves for even the next five minutes. He damns the glass walls that give him every opportunity to look at Danny while he should be doing paperwork. Danny leaning against his desk reading a file, chewing his pen while on the phone, looking back at Steve with those insanely blue eyes and Steve's favourite mischievous smile.

“Hey, Steve … Boss? Are you even here?” Kono's voice wakes him from his daydreams.

“Sorry, what were you saying?”

“I was saying: Has Mary told you about what happened last night?”

“I haven't seen her today” What did she do this time?

“Well, you remember the series of muggings we were sort of investigating before this turned into a homicide case. Your little sister and I were out on the town pretty late yesterday and – drum-roll, please – we arrested the guys in question”

“ _We_? You know you shouldn't enable her when it comes to trouble”

“Oh, she's perfectly able to find trouble on her own. As soon as she realised what was going on, she got me and we followed them. Mary created a diversion like a pro and we got the drop on them …She's got some skills in martial arts you probably don't even know about – we should seriously consider making her a honorary member of Five-0”

Steve isn't sure if she's only half joking or completely, but before he can answer, Rick's voice comes from the door. “No way. Our little sister is sticking to her calm and dangerless life”

“My thoughts exactly”, Steve agrees.

“It's so cute how protective you guys are” Kono giggles and returns to her own office.

Rick looks around to see if the doors are all closed. “Okay, looks like we have a minute alone … Something's different about you today. Have you talked to Danny?”

Steve knows he can't deny it because he feels the huge smile on his face before he can stop it. He also can't help looking across the hallway, where he meets Danny's gaze. His heart leaps as he realises he's not the only one who can't stop staring.

“Oh, so you have … I'm happy for you, bro” Rick slaps his shoulder and Steve focusses his attention back to him.

“You helped a lot, so thank you … Please don't tell anyone about this yet, not even Kate”

“Why not? It's great news”

“We'd like to enjoy it in silence for a bit. And if you tell Kate, she'll tell Kono and if Kono knows, the whole city will know and we'll never hear the end of it” It's not like Kono does it on purpose, she just can't help it. And the day will come soon enough for Steve and Danny to step out of the closet.

“Okay, I get it. I'll keep my big mouth shut”

 

*#*

 

They don't have to pick Esposito and Ryan up from the airport, seeing as the NYPD has sponsored a rental-car as well. So they wait for them at the Palace to at least make this look like they're all working. They hear them laugh and chat a while before the two detectives come through the glass-doors – followed by two red-headed women none of them had expected.

“Alexis, Mother, what are you doing here?” Now that he thinks about it, Richard could have seen that one coming.

“We thought it would be nice if we could all be together”, his mother says as she hugs him and kisses him on the cheek, “You know, like … a family”

Richard isn't sure if it hurts or not but he forgets about it for a moment as Alexis embraces him with all the strength she has. “Oh, Dad. Are you okay?”, she whispers and he nods. Then she lets go and tries to peek past him at the other people in the room.

Steve seems to share her curiosity and comes over, showing that slightly shy smile Richard has learned to understand as a sign of insecurity. And who wouldn't be out of their depth in a situation like this? “Alexis, um, hi”, Steve says, “I'm … well, I guess I'm your uncle”

“Nice to meet you, Uncle Steve” She is her usual charming self and Richard can literally see some of the weight come off Steve's shoulders. “Ryan said you two don't look one bit alike, but now that you're standing next to each other, I can totally see it”

“They both look like their father. Steve, dear” Martha gives him one of her trademark “there is no escape”-hugs. “You're even more handsome in person”

“Hello, Martha”

Richard wants to listen to their conversation and save his brother if necessary, but his attention is taken by Alexis and the others. He does catch the word “stepmother” and how Steve shifts uneasily. If only his mother didn't ambush the poor guy like this. He may be a hardass Navy SEAL, but he's not trained to handle Martha Rodgers and all the emotional baggage her presence evokes. Richard, however, is. Now that she's here, he realises he stopped being angry at her and started being grateful. Knowing everything that he knows about his father now, it would never have worked out between them and probably ended rather dramatically some time around his fifth birthday, at the latest. It really is better this way. Okay, it would've been great to meet John at least once, but you can't have everything.

When Richard finds himself face to face with his mother again a few minutes later, he recognises her guilt and fear. “Mother, it's okay”, he says before she can speak, “It's all good between us”

 

*#*

 

It is Saturday and pretty much everyone is in or around Steve's house. Mary, who is handling all of this way better than Steve had feared, has gotten her way and organised a party. She is chatting happily with Alexis and Grace about … whatever it is girls get so enthusiastic about. Rick is regaling Kamekona and Max with tales from his life as a mystery writer and Beckett is trying to subtly keep Esposito from flirting with Kono. (Army Guy – no, Steve will not go there – will have a rough awakening once he learns about her Yakuza boyfriend) Martha is talking animatedly to Danny and Catherine (who really just came by to pick up her stuff but got stuck here) and Steve doesn't even begin to imagine what it might be about. His head spins whenever he looks at Rick's mother and he is still waiting for that to stop. It gets so bad he has to put Chin and Ryan in charge of the barbecue (which will probably go horribly wrong, because they're stuck in the middle of a philosophical comparison of Hawaiian and East Coast culture and not paying a shred of attention) and retreat to the cool interior of the house for a while.

Right now, Steve is very grateful he still hasn't talked to his own mother about all of this, otherwise she'd be here, too. He accepts that she has a right to know, in a way, he just can't bring himself to tell her. Their family history is so riddled in secrets and deception on her part, he doesn't want to give her the satisfaction that other parts of the family had secrets as well. Although it wasn't his Dad's secret, it was Martha's, but still, technically she's family. Which brings him around full circle to the original problem.

Someone comes in and Steve hopes it's Danny who has that unfailing ability to ground him, but it's Rick, which is just as well, given the situation

“Hey, what's going on? You seem a little … off”

“Oh, it's …” Steve is going to say 'fine', but it's not really, and he can't lie to Rick. “It's not something you can do anything about”

“Well, we could talk about it … It's about my mother, isn't it?”

“Yeah … I'm not used to talking about my feelings, so … this could be a rocky road” Steve already feels awkward, but he also knows he has to talk to someone. And this is his brother. If anyone understands, it'll be him. Even if that turns pretty much all their serious conversations into therapy-sessions.

“That's alright. I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me”

“Okay, I feel … conflicted. Your mother is very nice, but there was something she said on the phone the other day … She left because she didn't want you to lose your father to a dangerous job … I had a conversation with Danny's ex-wife once and that's pretty much what she said about why she broke up with him” And all the implications still twist his heart and make his mind swim like substantial blood-loss.

“I guess it happens more often than we would think”

“Well, it has happened twice to people I know and … it changed my life, both times. If Rachel had never broken up with Danny, he would never have come into my life, I knew that. It also would've spared him a lot of pain. But then I started thinking, if Martha had told my Dad about you, he might have turned his life around, maybe stayed with her and never married my Mum and Mary and I wouldn't exist in the way we do right now. Your life would have been so much different if you'd had a father and … everything would be different, you see?” Steve knows it's futile to think about all the what-ifs but he just can't help it right now.

“I see. But what's your point?”

“It's just … a lot to handle, okay? Everything, our whole lives, the people out there in the garden, the work we do, it all hinges on one decision your mother made in 1972 and … that scares me”

“I understand and I've been thinking about it as well. You're wondering if any decision you ever made has had or will have consequences as huge and life-changing as this. We both know it's pointless to think about stuff like that … Does it help you that I wouldn't have it any other way? I didn't have a father, that's sad, but there's no changing that now. It just is. And maybe you can try and accept that everything that happened to you because of this, has happened and it's in the past now. It has made us who we are and I for one am pretty satisfied with how my life turned out”

“You're probably right. I just need some more time to get my head around it” They both get up and Steve feels like all hasn't been said. So he'll have to say it. “I'm glad we talked, brother … I love you” For a second, he is afraid he's said the wrong thing but then he realises it is surprise he sees on Rick's face. 

“I love you, too. And Mary. And I also love the family-by-choice you've picked, you've done a great job”

“You, too. And around here we call them  _ 'ohana _ ”

“I'll try and remember that. Maybe put it in my next book”

“You go ahead outside, I'll be with you in a minute, and you can tell me all about that next book”

“Oh, I might need your help on that”, Rick has already half left the house, “I had a great idea for a new character, a Navy SEAL. Maybe I'll include his secret boyfriend, as well”

“Don't you dare” Rick laughs and Steve can't help but laugh with him.

He looks through the open door across all the people on his lanai, looks at Danny who meets his eyes and smiles softly, and he realises he can't even remember what his life felt like before. A week ago, Steve was in an unhappy relationship and didn't have a brother. Now, he doesn't only have a brother, he has a niece, sort of a stepmother, a potential sister-in-law and two new friends in New York. And he has Danny, in ways he could never have imagined. His heart must have been a pretty bleak place a week ago – now it is warm and glowing like the sunset. Clarity hits Steve almost like a shock: this is the way it is and he is happy. And the fear that this could end any minute now is sleeping in the backseat.

He grabs a new six-pack of beer from the fridge and, with the intention of seeing how much of the barbecue can still be saved and then avert the damage his brother is going to cause, steps out into the sun again to join his family.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was supposed to be a fluffy/sexy McDanno scene after the first *#* but I couldn't manage anything that felt right. Please use your imagination, readers. Dirty or not ;)
> 
> So, this is it then. I hope someone enjoyed it. And I think I'll stick to one-shots in the future and stay away from things that require actual plotlines :)


End file.
